A Measure of Prophecy
by GreyOwl27
Summary: What happens when dreams and nightmares become reality? What is the point of knowing the future if nothing can be done to change it? How can you carry the secret when there is no one left you can trust? A Hogwarts story where Luna is a seer and Ginny struggles to move on post Tom. Now in PoA!
1. Chapter 1: The Dream

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Dream**

_The little girl skipped up the well-worn dirt path, slowly cresting the hill. A basket of biscuits hung on her arm. Her friend's mother had insisted she take them back, and she didn't have the heart to turn her down. After all, it meant so much for her to share her cooking and baking. _

_A small sparrow darted out of the bush in front of her and took flight, soaring up towards the sun in the clear sky. A tower rose up before her with a thin wisp of smoke rising from the roof, surrounded by rows of berry bushes and trees. A fleet of dirigible plums floated merrily in the breeze. The little girl smiled. That was her home._

_There was a loud bang. The ground shook, and the little girl fell to the ground. The basket tipped over and the biscuits spilled across the grass. The dirigible plums broke free of their tethers and fled up into the sky. The little girl looked up at her house with eyes widening in horror._

* * *

Luna Lovegood woke up screaming. Her mother rushed into the room, looking around frantically. Luna was sitting up in bed, hands curled around her knees, sobbing. Mum walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, draping her arm around the quivering girl. Luna leaned over onto her mother's shoulder and just lay there for a few minutes as her mother stroked her hair. "What's wrong Luna? Did you have a nightmare?"

Luna nodded.

"Would you like to tell me about it?"

Luna shook her head, instead breaking down sobbing again.

"Please Luna, it will help. I promise."

"It was awful. It seemed so real," Luna said, looking up at her mother, her eyes wide with fear. Tears streaking down her cheeks.

Mum gently wiped the tears from her face and quietly asked, "What happened Luna?"

"I was walking back from Ginny's house. It seemed like a pleasant dream. Just a bit more real. Do you know what I mean," Luna asked, looking up at her mother through her puffy red eyes.

"Yes. I do."

"I was almost home when the ground started to shake. Something bad happened."

"It was only a dream, Luna. It can't hurt you."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Can you tell me what else happened?"

Luna just shook her head and shuddered. Mum held her for a few more minutes while she regained her composure. When her breathing settled, her mother tapped her on the shoulder and said, "Why don't you go wash your face off."

Luna stood and walked over to the bathroom and looked into the big mirror that hung over the sink. She really did look terrible. Her eyes were all puffy and red. It made sense why Mum was so worried. She was usually a sound sleeper. She hadn't had nightmares in years. She turned on the tap and splashed water on her face, trying to erase the images from the last seconds of the dream. She felt a little better when she shut off the tap and wiped her face dry with a towel. She took a deep breath, regaining her composure before returning to her room.

When she entered, her mother was still sitting on her bed. In her hands lay a small package wrapped in brown paper. Luna was puzzled. She hadn't had that with her when she came in earlier. At least, that was what she thought. Luna shook her head again, shaking the last of the Nargles loose before walking over and sitting down next to her mother on the bed.

"I saw this a few weeks ago," Mum said, holding up the package, "I thought it would be perfect for you. I was planning on saving it for the solstice, but I think you could use some cheering up now."

Luna hesitantly took the package. She glanced up at Mum who gave her an encouraging smile and nod. Luna carefully pulled on the string, undoing the knot, and pulled the twine from around the package. She carefully undid the wrapping paper. No sense in destroying the paper that her mother had so carefully wrapped the gift in, even though it was only plain parchment paper. She turned the package over and opened the gift. There, sitting on her lap was a small book. It was dark blue with lots of bright dots. Stars, Luna realized. It was a book of the night sky. Only, it was unlike the sky she could see from the roof of her house. She could recognize most of those constellations from her stargazing with Daddy, but this had none of those familiar patterns. Maybe she could find the patterns in the book and come up with her own constellations! She opened up the book and was puzzled to find it completely blank. She looked up at her mother, who was gazing down at her with a soft smile on her face. She seemed happy. But was that a tightness around her eyes? Was she worried? Luna blinked, and the look was gone. She must have imagined it. "Thank you for the book Mum. It is so pretty!"

"You're welcome Luna. I hoped you would like it."

Luna let a puzzled look cross her face, "Why is it blank?"

"It's for you to fill. To write your own story."

"I already have a diary," Luna said, reaching over to pull the bright pink book from the drawer of her nightstand. "What should I write in this book?"

"When the time comes, you will find something to write in it."

"What do you mean? Come on Mum, that's not much to go on. Please give me another clue."

Her mother shook her head and raised a hand to her mouth, zipping her lips and throwing away the key.

"Please Mum," Luna asked, pulling her hands together.

Her mother chuckled and said, "You know that never works on me. My lips are sealed."

Luna sighed. The innocent puppy look always worked on her father. She decided not to push it further. If her mother wanted her to wait, she would need to wait. Instead, she leaned over and gave her mum a hug "Thank you Mummy, even though you won't tell me what the book is for."

"Luna dear, let's keep this dream as our secret, okay?"

"Sure. Can I tell Daddy?"

"No, Luna," her mother said sadly. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"What about Ginny? Can I tell her?"

"No Luna. I need you to promise me that you won't tell anyone ever. Okay?"

"I promise," Luna said solemnly. "What about the book? Can I show that to Ginny?"

"Sure. It's a bit after 7:00. Why don't you go get dressed and come down to eat some breakfast? By the time you are done and walk over there, she should be up."

Luna quickly changed out of her pajamas and rushed down the stairs. Daddy was sitting at the kitchen table with a glass of beet juice. "Good morning, sunshine. How did you sleep?"

"Terribly," Luna replied matter-of-factly.

"Oh?" Daddy said. "We can't have that. What happened?"

"Well," Luna began, but caught her mother's gaze. Right. She promised not to say anything. "It was nothing important."

"What can I get you for breakfast?" Mum asked, forestalling any other questions.

"I'm not really hungry," Luna replied.

"Luna dear, if you don't eat breakfast, then the Wrackspurts will be after you all day!" Daddy exclaimed.

"You are not going out unless you eat something, young lady," Her mother scolded

"But I'm not hungry."

"In that case, I think we shall all have toast," Daddy announced.

Mum flicked her wand and a loaf of bread from the pantry started to slice itself. As the pieces of bread floated over to the stove, her mum sat down and asked, "What are you reading dear?"

"I'm just looking over this new article Svenson sent in. He sighted a Blibbering Humdinger near the Dover coast."

"Did he get a picture?"

"Not this time, but he made numerous observations. I think this might even be worthy of the front page of the next edition."

"I thought you were putting the article on Mr. Fudge's candidacy for Minister on the front page."

"But dear, no one wants to read about that. This is much more important."

"Nevertheless, it belongs on the front page. I think Svenson's article would be better on the third page, don't you?"

"Well…"

Luna snatched a piece of lightly toasted bread from its location hovering over the stove. She held it up to her mum and asked, "Can I go now Mum?"

"Alright Luna," she replied before turning back to Luna's father. "By the way, I was thinking we should move up the trip to Norway…"

Luna missed the rest of the conversation, as the door swung shut behind her.

The day was bright, warm, and clear. A soft breeze blew through the valley as Luna made her way along the stone path, washing away the last vestiges of the previous night. By the time she spotted the Burrow standing tall and proud over the hills, the dream was all but forgotten.

Luna glanced around as she made her way through the yard. There was no motion in the kitchen and the lights in the house were all still off. Maybe she really had come too early. While it was disheartening, she was not ready to go home just yet. Instead, she turned and walked over to the chicken coop. At least the birds would be some company. As she rounded the house, she spotted Ginny crouched by the shed. She must have stepped on a twig because before she could raise a shout in greeting, Ginny turned around and held a finger to her lips. She then gestured to Luna to walk over quietly.

"Hi Ginny! What you up to?" Luna asked brightly.

"Shhh. Please keep quiet," Ginny whispered, "No one else is up yet, and I don't want to wake them."

"You didn't answer my question," Luna responded, eyeing the hair pin jammed into the shed's lock.

"I'm trying to get the brooms," Ginny said, turning back to picking the lock. "Charlie, Percy, Fred, and George got back from Hogwarts yesterday. Bill even came back from Egypt to see everyone. Bill and Charlie both brought their brooms with them and they are sitting here in the shed. I want to get some practice in before everyone wakes up."

"Why do you need to pick the lock? I'm sure Bill would let you use his broom if you asked."

"You know why, Luna. Mum would never stand for it. You were there when I asked to fly last year."

"Yeah. I was," Luna giggled. "'No! Never! You are just a little girl. Flying is dangerous!' It was pretty funny."

"Not for me," Ginny grimaced, "Give me a sec. I think I almost got it."

With a satisfying click, the door of the shed popped open. Ginny scurried inside, careful to keep the door opened as little as possible to avoid the squeaky hinge. She pulled out a broomstick and closed the door while Luna placed down a rock to keep the door closed, but not locked. The conspirators then scurried past the darkened windows of the house into the nearby grove of trees.

"Sorry Luna. I should go back and get the other broom."

"Why?"

"So you can fly too…"

"I told you last time. There is no way I am ever going to fly on something that doesn't have a mind of its own."

"Wait… What?"

"How can I trust something not to let me fall dozens of meters to the ground if it doesn't have even a basic intelligence. How can I trust my own safety to something that doesn't have any self-preservation instincts!"

"Okay… Would you be willing to toss me something while I fly?"

"Sure," Luna replied. She looked around for a minute until she found a slightly deflated ball lying in the shadows of the tree. "How about that?"

"That's fine," Ginny said as she mounted the broom and kicked off. She soared up to the tops of the trees, feeling the freedom of leaving the ground behind. She pulled to a stop and looked back down at Luna who gave her a thumbs up. It was a pretty good takeoff. Ginny really had a talent. Luna almost couldn't tell this was only her fourth time ever on a broom. With a smile, she wandered over to the long-forgotten ball, wondering how it got to be left here abandoned. It was pretty well hidden in the gaps between the tree's roots and covered by leaves. The children who had played with it had probably looked for it for hours without finding it. Luna reached down and picked it up, giving it a short inspection. It was well used, but not damaged. Someone had probably spent many pleasant afternoons tossing the ball in the yard. It felt comfortable in her hand; the kind of ball that was begging to be thrown. Luna liked to believe that if it could think, it would be glad to see some use after so many years abandoned. She turned and jogged back to Ginny.

They took it slowly. At first, Ginny hovered just above the top of the grass and they tossed the ball back and forth a dozen times. Once Ginny felt stable enough on the broom to keep her hands free, they tried ever-increasing elevations. It was a simple game of catch, the kind Bill played with Ginny and Ron when they were younger. The difference being Ginny was now hovering well above Luna's head.

"I got this Luna," Ginny said after about fifteen minutes, tossing the ball back down. Luna had to admit to herself that Ginny really did. She looked comfortable perched on the broom. Whether by intent or instinct, she had found the exact center of lift and was sitting there comfortably, not needing to make even slight adjustments to keep herself upright. "I'm going to try to catch it while moving."

Ginny gripped the broom and started to fly slowly in a circle around the clearing. She held one hand on the broom to keep moving and held up the other, giving Luna a thumbs-up. Luna took a moment to gauge Ginny's position and speed before tossing the ball up to her. Miraculously, Ginny snatched the ball out of the air with one hand.

"Yes!," Ginny yelled before clamping her free hand to her mouth, remembering her sleeping family. She had to be careful to avoid waking them, or her mother in particular. With a broad smile on her face, she tossed the ball back down to Luna.

Their early success probably jinxed them as the Ginny missed the next throw completely, the ball bouncing off into the trees. Luna chuckled and set off to try to find it while Ginny flew another lap around the grove, this time faster. She found the ball resting in the grass, next to some brightly colored mushrooms. As Luna turned to return to the clearing. She caught site of someone leaning in the shade of a tree on the opposite side of the clearing. Luna quietly approached, trying to catch a closer look. The stranger was tall with bright red hair. He was watching Ginny fly gracefully through the air with a bright smile on his face. He looked over, met Luna's eyes, and gave her a small wave before setting off back through the trees. It was Bill.

Luna returned to the clearing and needed to call out to Ginny a couple times to get her attention. Some people are probably really meant to fly, Luna mused as she tossed the ball back up to Ginny who made a small dive to catch the ball. She was disappointed when Ginny suggested that they should probably head back. It was getting late. Not late in the day, but it was no longer the early morning and some of the other Weasleys may be awake. They crept back to the house, carefully avoiding all the windows, and Luna kept watch while Ginny returned the stolen broom to the shed. Well, since Bill knew it was taken and seemed to approve, it probably shouldn't be called stolen. Perhaps the borrowed broom?

Ginny slipped back into the house to grab a piece of toast while Luna wandered outside as usual. Luna had already eaten and really didn't really want to get caught up in the whirlwind that was a normal Weasley morning. She had long ago learned if Mrs. Weasley spotted her during 'breakfast time' (basically any time before 10:00), she would be stuck sitting at the table with a plate of sausages, bacon, eggs, and toast piled in front of her. And Mrs. Weasley would always give her a disappointed look if she didn't eat it all, despite already having had breakfast at home. How Ginny could get away with only eating a piece of toast was beyond her. Instead, Luna opted for a non-confrontational approach. As long as she stayed out of sight in the morning, there was no danger. Ginny could somehow grab a quick breakfast then slip back out to meet up with her. They could safely reenter the house later in the day.

Luna broke out of her reverie when she reached the vegetable garden to the south of the house. The gnomes were up and about, wandering around in their little potato bodies and gnawing on things with their sharp, pointy teeth. Her father said they had some remarkable magical properties, but Luna always thought they looked rather adorable, like vegetables given mobility and intelligence (intelligence being a relative term). While they could not carry on a conversation, they had somehow picked up a rudimentary vocabulary with increasingly colorful language. Luna suspected that Fred and George were teaching them to swear. She wished she knew how they did it. She would have loved to sit down in the garden and talk with the gnomes. There was so much more she could learn from them, and they probably had fascinating opinions. Sadly, they attempted to bite her every time she tried. Instead, she leaned against the fence post and watched as two gnomes tried to eat the same tomato. It was hanging there, just out of their reach. Luna squinted her eyes, hoping to drop it from the plant, but instead it exploded all over them. An offended gnome covered in the glistening tomato seeds screamed something unintelligible and charged the pair. It probably intended to gnaw on them but didn't realize how round their bodies were. Instead, it bounced off them, and all three tumbled down the slope. Dozens of other gnomes charged after them, waving their tiny arms and screaming battle cries like "Merlin's socks," "Dung-brain," and "Aardvark."

"What did you do?!" Ginny asked, leaning against the fence post next to Luna. "I haven't seen them this riled up in ages!"

"Nothing," Luna said, careful to keep a completely straight face. "Anyways, even if I did something, it was completely for their benefit. They really enjoy a good brawl."

"Well, whatever it was, it sure cleared them out," Ginny replied, gesturing to the garden with the piece of lightly buttered toast in her hand.

"I heard some new words from them today. I never would have thought of using aardvark or woolly mammoth as a swear word before," Luna said. She tried to hold a straight face, but they both collapsed against the post, giggling. When they caught their breath, Luna turned to Ginny, her face more serious. "Actually, there is something I wanted to show you," she said, pulling out the book.

Ginny turned over the book, admiring the cover before flipping through the pages. "What's it for?"

"Not sure. That's what I wanted to ask you. Have any ideas?"

"Diary?"

"Doubt it. I already have one, and my mum said it was for something else."

"Why did she give it to you today?"

"I had a pretty rough night, so my mum gave it to me to cheer me up. It was supposed to be a present for the solstice. She wouldn't explain what it is for. I thought you might have some ideas."

"Uh… Not sure. A scrap book maybe?"

"That seems a bit mundane, no?"

"Maybe a journal for sketching?"

"You know that I don't draw that well. Anyways, the paper is lined. It wouldn't work."

"Well, then I got nothing," Ginny sighed, holding out her hands in defeat. They sat there for a moment before Ginny's face lit up. She climbed through the fence and pulled up a small carrot. "You want to go catch a gnome and set it loose in the twin's room?"

"Sure!" Luna exclaimed, and the two girls ran down the hill to find a straggling gnome.

* * *

Luna didn't make it back to the Weasleys for another week. When she got home that afternoon, carrying a bulging basket of muffins Mrs. Weasley insisted on giving her, her parents sent her up to her room to pack. They were going on a surprise trip to Norway for the week. Her father was trying to write an article on the differences between wood sprites in various regions, and he wanted to get to those in Norway while it was still spring. After quickly packing, the three Lovegoods took a portkey across the North Sea.

The camping trip was a lot of fun, as camping with her parents always was. They took long hikes through the woods, keeping eyes out for interesting creatures, and made warm, welcoming campfires when they settled down for the night. They would sing songs, and her parents would tell her stories brought to life through the smoke rising from the fire. Luna was even able to meet several actual wood nymphs. (They normally only saw the creatures they set out to find about half the time.) She was sad when the magical week came to an end, and they had to return home.

On the morning after the trip, the first official day of summer, Luna woke up bright and early. Despite arriving late the previous night, her parents were both up before her, waiting at the breakfast table.

"Mum, have you seen my book?"

"I'm sure you'll find it soon enough," Mum replied, "the things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end, if not always in the way we expect. Remember that, Luna."

"Alright."

"Well, I had better head off," Daddy cut in. "I am interviewing Professor Grubby-Plank at Hogwarts to get a bit more details for the article."

"When do you think you'll be back?" Mum asked.

"Probably sometime this afternoon. I need to pick up another manuscript on that band, I forget their name. I heard from a reliable source that they have been incorporating actual spells into their song lyrics," Daddy replied as he walked towards the door. He turned and said, "Goodbye" before apparating away.

"Goodbye."

Mum then turned to Luna. "So what do you want for breakfast?"

"Maybe eggs?"

"Eggs sound great," her mother replied, pulling out her wand. As the food cooked, her mother asked what Luna's plans were for that day.

"Well, I was thinking of going to the Burrow. I promised Ginny that whenever we go on a trip I would come by and tell her what happened."

"That sounds like a good idea, Luna. I think you should spend the afternoon there as well. Its summer. You shouldn't spend too much time indoors."

"Okay Mum," Luna replied. "What are you going to do today?"

Her mother's breath caught a bit. Luna wasn't sure, but thought she saw the pan on the stove become still. In a blink, everything was back to normal, and her mother replied, "I don't know. I was thinking on working on a new spell."

"That sounds like fun, Mum."

"Yes it does, Luna," her mother replied with a soft smile.

In short order, breakfast was consumed, and Luna was pulling on her shoes to go.

"Luna."

"Yes Mum."

"Promise me you'll be careful."

Luna tilted her head to the side, confused. "I'm always careful Mum."

"I know dear."

"Well, bye Mum!"

"Goodbye, Luna. I love you."

"Love you too!"

* * *

Luna opened the gate at the Burrow and glanced around. There was no one in the yard, but she caught a few glimpses of red hair in the kitchen. Someone was up. She started crossing the yard when the youngest Weasley boy exited from the back door. "Hey! Ron!" Luna called out, "You know where Ginny is?"

"Uh… No idea. I didn't see her inside."

"Thanks," Luna replied with a small wave goodbye. She circled the house, checking the shed, chicken coop, and garden before skipping down to the grove. She wandered through the trees, searching for any sign of red hair among the browns and greens of the trees. It was almost like the explorations with her parents on their trip. Only this time, she was looking for a human, not a wood nymph who blended into the colors of the forest and could vanish into a tree at a moment's notice.

The search did not last that long. Before she reached the clearing, she heard a voice call out from behind her, "Luna! You're back! How was your trip?"

Luna turned around and saw Ginny hanging upside down from a nearby tree, her legs hooked around a branch. "Hi Ginny," Luna said with a smile. She cocked her head to the side and asked, "Is your Animagus form a possum or bat by any chance?"

"Not that I know of. Why?"

"Well you are hanging from a tree. I figured you were practicing."

"No. I was just climbing the tree."

"So, your form is a monkey?"

"Luna!" Ginny growled as Luna collapsed into giggles. "I know you better than this. You are not pulling another one over on me."

Luna smiled. "Fine. You win this time. But come out of the tree. I want to tell you about my trip!"

"I'm comfortable here," Ginny replied, pulling herself into a sitting position. "You come up here."

"I guess that would be appropriate. I did spend the past week looking for wood nymphs," Luna said as she walked over to the tree and started climbing. Ginny moved over, giving her some space to settle in.

"Now where did you go?"

"Well, we started off in a forest in southern Norway …," Luna began. She summarized most of the stories, ranging from their meeting with a group of students from Beauxbatons who claimed to have been searching for an all seeing hare, to the interesting opinions of a wood nymph named Daisy who wanted nothing more than to see the flower she was named after. They sat there in the tree talking until they heard Percy calling for them to come back in. It was lunch time.

Ginny jumped down from the tree while Luna slowly picked her way down. Something felt wrong.

"Oh. I meant to ask. What's the necklace for?"

"This?" Luna asked, holding up her necklace of butterbeer corks. "I forgot to mention it. My mum made it for me on the first day of the trip. The corkwood in the caps is a form of protection against wood nymph magic. I suspect it also may be useful for other things."

Ginny asked her something that she didn't catch.

"What?"

"I said, you're staying for lunch, right?"

Luna hesitated. That had been the plan after all, but something felt wrong. Like a small but deep pit had opened up inside her stomach. A quiet feeling of dread. "I don't think so."

"But you will come back tomorrow to finish the story right?"

"Of course. I promise," Luna replied. She needed to get home.

She had planned on dropping Ginny off and slipping away, but Mrs. Weasley spotted her and called out, "Luna, how lovely to see you. Fred, set another place at the table for Luna."

"It's okay, Mrs. Weasley. I'll eat lunch at home."

"Nonsense. It's lunch time. You should eat here then head back."

"Really, my Mum is expecting me at home," Luna lied, "I need to get home."

"I understand. At least let me give you something to take back."

"It's fine…" Luna started to say, but Mrs. Weasley was already inside, filling a small basket for Luna to take home.

In the interest of getting home as fast as possible, Luna accepted the basket with a quick 'thank you' and 'goodbye' before turning down the hill. She was halfway down the hill before she paused to peek under the cloth covering the basked. It was full of biscuits. Luna briefly considered going back to return them but rejected the idea. Mrs. Weasley would probably take them back, but she would be hurt, and it probably wasn't worth the fight. She had taken food back from the Weasleys dozens of times in the past. Biscuits were nothing special, right?

The trip back was uneventful, and Luna felt the dread lessen the closer she got to her house. By the time she reached the crest of the last hill, she found herself skipping, and when her house finally came into view, she couldn't help but smile. The thin wisp of smoke standing out against the bright blue sky. The dirigible plums in their bright purple standing out against the green of the leaves. There was nothing to worry about after all.

The ground started to shake, and Luna fell to the ground. The basket fell from her arm. Luna looked up in horror. She had seen this before. She knew what she would see, but she didn't have a choice. Maybe the dream before was just a dream. This had to be different. It just had to.

She raced up the path, the door flying off its hinges before she could even reach it. She skidded to a stop on the first floor, turning to face the basement. Her mother's workshop. The door was already engulfed in flames. There was nothing she could do.

She knew it would happen. She had the dream. Yet there was nothing she could do.

Luna collapsed onto her knees, wrapping her arms around her body, sobbing.

There was nothing she could do.

Nothing.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This story is my take on Ginny and Luna's time in Hogwarts. It is technically cannon compliant, and this story will assume all the events from the main series take place (although almost always off screen). New chapters are posted monthly, and feedback and reviews are greatly appreciated. In the next chapter, the introduction of Tom Riddle and the start of the first year.


	2. Chapter 2: The First Day

**Chapter 2: The First Day**

If one were to ask Ginny Weasley when her journey to Hogwarts began, she would not have pointed to that fateful day when her best friend came running back to the Burrow with her dress scorched, eyes wide and mouth open in a silent scream. Yet, she would have still recalled it vividly. How her mother came running out of the kitchen where she was cleaning up from lunch and knelt beside the stricken girl trying to find out what happened only to be met by silence. She would probably never forget the dual loud cracks of Bill apparating to the Rookery and Charlie to the Ministry of Magic for their father, only for all three to return minutes later with their faces grim. She would be tormented for weeks by the look in her friend's silver eyes when she finally met her gaze: the haunted look of a young girl who had seen far too much.

While she would never forget how her best friend spent over a month absolutely silent, refusing to eat, and meeting the eyes of anyone who tried to talk to her with a gaze so piercing that it was as if she could see into their soul, Ginny Weasley would not have said that was when her journey to Hogwarts began. Nor did her journey to Hogwarts begin when she received her letter. Nor did it begin the morning when she came downstairs to find Harry Potter sitting calmly at their table eating breakfast.

No. Ginny would say that her journey to Hogwarts began with a trip to Diagon Alley when she found the courage to stand up to a bully who was picking on Harry, her hero, and was rewarded that night by finding a small leather book tucked inside her schoolbooks.

From within the safety of her room, Ginny examined the book. It seemed to be a notebook or diary of some kind. The inner cover identified its former owner as a Tom Riddle, but the pages were all completely blank. It was completely unused and all hers.

Seeing no sense waiting, Ginny rummaged around in her packages for a quill and bottle of ink and started writing. _Dear Diary,_

The question was what she should say. Before she could decide, the letters had sunk into the paper and vanished. To her shock, in their place was a new sentence written in an unfamiliar hand. _Hello. Is anyone there?_

Ginny hesitantly replied. _Hi._

_Who is this?_

_Ginny Weasley. Who are you?_

_How did you come by this diary?_

_I found it tucked inside my schoolbooks._

_Schoolbooks? How old are you, Ms. Weasley?_

_I'm eleven and about to start at Hogwarts. Who are you?_

_What year is it?_

_1992_

_So long? How could this happen? You said you found me among your schoolbooks? _

_I'm not answering any more of your questions until you answer mine. Who are you? What are you?_

There was a long pause, and Ginny wasn't sure if the diary was going to respond. She had almost given up when a new line of text appeared. _You may call me Tom, and I am a diary. I apologize for my behavior earlier. I was just shocked. It seems like my previous owner misplaced me. I was surprised to find a different handwriting in me. _

_Maybe I could help you find your owner?_

_Thank you, but it seems as though over ten years have passed since my old owner last wrote to me. Time is… difficult for me. The silence between entries can make days feel like years and years feel like mere days._

_I could write to you. That way you wouldn't be alone. _

_That would be greatly appreciated, Ms. Weasley. Perhaps we should introduce ourselves. I am a diary. My former owner's name was Tom Riddle. He left enough of himself in my pages that you should probably call me Tom as well. What is your full name?_

_Ginerva Weasley, although I go by Ginny. _

_Hello Ginerva. It is a pleasure to meet you._

* * *

Luna pulled her trunk down the Hogwarts Express, looking for an empty compartment. The train was surprisingly crowded for over half an hour before the scheduled departure time. At least, she assumed it was especially crowded. After all, she had no real basis for comparison, having never been on the train before. She found a compartment towards the middle of the train, pulled the door open, and lifted her trunk onto its shelf, suddenly very appreciative of the feather-light charm her father had insisted on casting on it before leaving.

With her baggage properly stowed, she pulled out her diary. Not her ordinary diary, but her dream diary. The one her mother had given her two years ago. She slowly flipping through the pages of her dream diary, pausing briefly on the first entry, written in her own shaky hand.

_The Nightmare:_

_…_

_Seen: June 14th, Age 9_

_Occurred: June 21st, Age 9_

The diary had slowly become populated with a half dozen entries, each a dream that seemed to be a little too real. The next dream was a few short months later. She and Ginny went outside in the snow. Ginny insisted on climbing a tree and fell, clutching her leg in pain. At the time, Luna dismissed it as an ordinary dream, but then, to her shock, it happened three days later. Another time, she dreamed was at Ginny's house while Percy walked around with a prefect's badge proudly displayed on his chest when a vase fell from an upper story window and shattered, lacerating his right arm. That occurred three months later. Ever since the first horrible nightmare, Luna carefully recorded all her dreams that seemed a bit too real. Sometimes it took days, weeks, or even months, but eventually, each and every one of those dreams happened.

It would have been frightening enough if it had been her dreams coming to pass, but they always ended with someone getting hurt. Sometimes seriously. It was almost like she was cursed.

Luna stared down at the most recent entry. The only one yet to occur.

_She was walking down a hallway. (Hogwarts?) On her shoulder was a book bag filled with parchments of notes, class assignments, and half-finished essays. She turned into a room filled with books and tables. A library. Students in familiar robes were huddled over the tables. An elderly woman patrolled the library, glancing around for any sign of noise. These were all distractions for her. She didn't need to come to the library to finish her homework. She was here looking for someone. She spotted her target huddled over a table, her back turned to her. _

_She walked forward and glanced over her friend's shoulder. Her friend was writing in a small book, but her bright red hair blocked her view of the words. Instead, she pulled a chair up opposite her friend and said hello. Her friend's face jerked up while slamming the book closed. For a moment, she worried that her friend was angry at her. Her eyes drifted down to the book. It looked like simple black leather, but somehow, it glowed a shimmering green. It quickly started to spark. She could feel the emotions radiating from it. They came in waves, each one sending another stab of pain. She was drowning. Her head jerked away, and the realization hit her. The Book was angry at her. Luna looked back up to talk to her friend but froze when she met her eyes. The brown eyes were hard and cold. The green glow was there also. For a moment, there was something else in her friend's eyes._

She had the dream two weeks ago while she was traveling through Peru with her father looking for two headed Peruvian forest vipers (not to be confused with the Peruvian viper-tooth, a well-known species of dragon). She had considered sending Ginny a letter immediately to warn her but decided against it. Ginny would need an explanation, and Luna wasn't willing to share her dreams yet. She couldn't burden her friend with this. Ginny had already been hurt enough because of the dreams. Besides, Luna had made a promise.

Ginny probably wouldn't even believe her anyways. Even worse, Ginny might think Luna had gone crazy, despite being best friends for practically their entire lives. Her dreams were something she didn't share with anyone else. She had not even told her father, who would certainly believe her.

Her mother had known, and she had died as a direct result. Her mother had known and made her promise. She could never tell anyone. It would only make them hurt worse.

Instead, Luna would need to somehow convince Ginny without revealing the reason. Ginny had agreed to meet her for the train ride to Hogwarts when they had last spoken, before Luna's expedition with her father. All she had to do was warn Ginny about the book. That would prevent the dream and prove they can be changed. It was so simple. All she had to do was wait.

* * *

Ginny arrived right as the train was pulling out of the station. She smiled at the sight of her friend and rushed forward to give her a warm hug. "It's so nice to see you Luna. I have so much to tell you!"

"First, let's get your trunk into the compartment." Luna stood to help her pull the trunk and maneuver it onto the luggage rack.

"I want to hear all about your trip, but I have something I need to tell you first," Ginny said once they were settled in. "Guess who stayed with us for the past few weeks!"

"Uh… I don't know. Did Bill come back?"

"No. Guess again."

"Did the ghoul's family come back to visit?"

"No. I didn't even know he had a family."

"Of course, he does. He misses them terribly. You should go and try to talk to him sometimes."

Ginny gave her a glare.

"Fine. Did Charlie's friend come by to visit? The one with the color changing hair?"

"Who?"

"Well I guess not. Honestly, you might as well just tell me. I have no idea."

"Harry Potter!"

"What?!"

"Harry Potter stayed with us for the end of the summer," Ginny said, literally bouncing with excitement.

"I'm so glad for you. Did you get a chance to get to know him?" Luna asked, well aware of her friend's hero worship of the Boy-Who-Lived. Even Luna herself was a bit curious about the person behind all the myths.

"Uh… Not really."

"Huh?"

"I saw him a lot, but I didn't really talk to him at all," Ginny explained, blushing.

"Come on Ginny. That's not like you."

"I know. I didn't think it would be a problem. It's just… I was looking forward to meeting him all year when I finally got to Hogwarts, and then he was there one morning, sitting at the table eating breakfast. I was so shocked I just panicked. I probably made such a terrible first impression. I know I should have tried to talk to him anyways. Tom told me the same thing. I'm just so worried I will say something stupid."

"Ginny. You need to relax. Have a bit more confidence in yourself."

"I know. I know. Its only… you know. He is my hero. I don't want him to think badly of me."

"Just be yourself."

"I know. You're not the only one who has told me that. Just… How did we end up talking about me?"

"Well, you said…"

"I know how we got here, Luna. That was rhetorical. I just want to get back to what I wanted to tell you. Harry was getting on the train with Ron, right behind me. They probably found a compartment by now. Do you want to come meet him?"

"Sure," Luna replied. It would be nice to meet someone new. "Do you think I should wish him condolences for his parents?"

"Wait. What?!"

"His parents. I know it has been years, but I would have just met him. I could probably empathize with him better than a lot of other people he has met. Do you think he would appreciate it?"

"I don't think so." Ginny replied, still trying to process Luna's statement.

"You're probably right. He has probably moved on years ago and wouldn't appreciate the reminder."

"Sure. That's what I meant, I guess."

"Before we go, there is something I need to ask you. Have you ever seen a black leather book that is sort of… sentient?"

"What?" Ginny asked, her face suddenly becoming guarded as the excitement drained away.

"Like a book that has emotions. A book that can become angry. Have you seen one?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"I just wanted to warn you to stay away from it if you ever come across one."

"Why?" Ginny said, her voice distinctly colder than before.

"Please Ginny. Just trust me. If you ever find a book like I described, please stay away from it."

"I'll keep it in mind," Ginny replied, "I'm going to go find Harry Potter. You can come if you want."

Luna followed Ginny down the corridor as she glanced into compartment after compartment for her older brother and his friend. Ginny was definitely angry at her. Luna knew she wouldn't respond well. She was always rebelling against rules and orders, especially those she did not understand. However, it would be worth it if Ginny listened to her warning. Ginny trusted her enough for that. The warning would be enough. Wouldn't it?

* * *

As it turned out, Ron and Harry Potter were nowhere to be found on the train. They spent almost an hour combing every carriage, but there was no sign of them. Luna initially suspected they had asked an older student (maybe Percy?) to put a notice-me-not charm on their compartment, but the number of compartments in each car was exactly the same. They even checked in the engine room in the front of the train, but only the driver was there. There was simply no sign of them. It was like they never got on the train, despite Ginny's confidence that they had been right behind her.

Ginny had calmed down by the time they returned to their seats and finished the bar of chocolate she purchased from Margery, the trolley lady. They spent the rest of the train ride talking about Luna's expedition to Peru and speculating on what Hogwarts would be like. This inevitably led to the same point that was on the minds of most of the other first years: Houses.

"I am just worried about which house I'll be in," Ginny moaned.

"You'll be in Gryffindor, just like the rest of your family," Luna replied with absolute certainty.

"I would have assumed that, until these last few weeks. I have been acting like an idiot. Like a coward."

"You are being too hard on yourself. You will definitely be in Gryffindor."

"I hope so… What about you? Which house do you think you'll be in?"

"Not sure. Where do you think?"

"Well, you have a creative and tricky sense of humor. Maybe Slytherin," Ginny said with a smirk.

"Speak for yourself. You are _so_ much more devious than I am."

"Hey, look on the bright side. If you end up I Slytherin, I will probably be there too."

"Ginny!"

"Fine, not Slytherin. I could honestly see you in any of the other houses. You are kind enough for Hufflepuff, smart enough for Ravenclaw, and brave enough for Gryffindor."

"It's not worth it to argue, but I can only be in one house," Luna said.

"But you could fit most of them," Ginny sighed. "You know, there is probably a good chance we won't be in the same house."

"Yeah," Luna admitted.

"Well, a friend made a suggestion, and the more I think about it, he's are probably right." Ginny took a deep breath before continuing. "If we're in different houses, we're going to need to make new friends inside our houses."

"Right. But that doesn't change anything between us, right?"

"That's my point. I think we shouldn't hang out together for the first two weeks of school."

"What! Why?"

"If we are always together, then we will both feel left out of our houses. This way, we will make some friends quickly and then start hanging out together once school starts to pick up."

The two lapsed into silence for a few minutes before Luna asked, "Who is this friend of yours?"

"Hmm?"

"The friend who made this suggestion. I know almost everyone you know. It isn't your brothers since you wouldn't have used the word friend, so who is it?"

"It doesn't matter. Just drop it Luna."

"Is it Tom?"

"What?" Ginny asked, suddenly alarmed.

"Tom. You mentioned the name earlier, but I don't know anyone called Tom. Who is he?"

"Drop it Luna."

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Because it's none of your business."

"Second week. Library after lunch."

"Huh?"

"If we are not in the same house, you don't want to spend time together at the start of school. We'll meet in the library in the morning two weeks from now. Deal?" Luna asked, holding out her hand.

Ginny reached out and gave her hand a shake. "Deal."

The train then whistled and started to slow down. They had arrived in Hogsmead. As they were about to leave the train, Luna grabbed Ginny's arm and said, "Wait. Seriously, where do you think I will end up?"

"I don't know, but I hope you end up in Gryffindor. I need my best friend."

The two friends left the train and followed the throng of other first years to gather around a very tall man who introduced himself as Rubeus Hagrid. He escorted them down to a dock where they set out in a fleet of small boats across a dark lake and got their first glimpses of Hogwarts.

The ride was spent in silence which Luna appreciated. Most of the first years were still processing, still in awe. This held while they disembarked and followed a stern woman who introduced herself as Professor McGonagall up to a tall doorway. They were asked to stand for a few minutes until she returned for them. As soon as the door closed behind her, the silence broke and the entire crowd of first years erupted into furious whispers, speculating on what would happen on the other side of the door, as had every other year before them.

Professor McGonagall returned shortly and escorted the first years down the central aisle of the Great Hall as all the other students watched. The first years stared at the candles hovering above the tables and the night sky projected onto the ceiling, but Luna's gaze was fixed on an old ripped wizard's hat sitting on a stool in front of what she surmised was the staff table. To their shock, the hat's brim opened, and it sang a long song about the attributes of each of the four houses.

The sorting began with Anderson, Robert who went to Hufflepuff and continued from there. What fascinated Luna was the instant the house was called, the insignia on his robes changed to the badger on yellow and black of Hufflepuff. Luna could not help but wonder what colors her robes would show in only a few short minutes.

Before long, she heard "Lovegood, Luna." She walked up to the platform and the Sorting Hat was placed on her head.

_"Hello,"_ Luna thought.

_"Hello Ms. Lovegood,"_ a voice replied in her head.

_"I take it you are the Sorting Hat. So how does this work exactly?"_

_"Did you not listen to my song?"_

_"Oh. No. Of course I listened to it. You are very talented. Do you write a new one each year?"_

_"Yes. It is one of the few simple pleasures I have while sitting on the shelf for months."_

_"Are you lonely? Would you like me to come by and visit you? Is that possible?"_

_"Oh,"_ the voice replied, the surprise evident in its voice. (Could it still be considered a voice if it was not spoken out loud?) _"Thank you, but no need to trouble yourself. Also, yes. Consider this a voice. The semantics don't really matter that much. Yes, I can read your thoughts and even a bit deeper than that. Let's get back to the sorting, shall we? Do you have any requests?"_

_"Not really. All the houses seem nice."_

_"Well that's surprising. You really don't care where I put you, do you?"_

_"I mean, I would like to be put in a house where I can be both happy and do the best I can, but you said that that is where you try to put people. Right?"_

_"Yes."_

_"So… I guess I would be okay wherever you think is best. I really don't know where I should be sorted. I don't think I know myself well enough to make that decision. Is that alright?"_

_"It is quite alright. My job is to determine where you would best fit in. I asked since usually first years have some opinions, and I try to take those opinions into account. I find it is often helpful for you to verbalize those feelings. It is one of the first steps to self-reflection."_

_"Okay. Thank you for explaining."_

_"Well, let's get started, shall we? Let me see… You have a good mind and a big heart… a healthy amount of cunning… an impressive helping of bravery… You have known sorrow, but you are moving forward… Hmm… Well that is interesting…"_

_"What is?"_

_"Your dreams."_

_"Oh. What about them?"_

_"They are quite rare. It has been over two decades since I have sorted anyone with a similar… talent, for lack of a better word."_

_"Oh. Could you tell me who? I would love to meet her? Him? Whoever?"_

_"I'm sorry. I cannot disclose what I learn from another sorting. Even if I could, I happen to know that she has since passed away. I'm sure you can find someone else to talk to about them… However, we are getting off topic. The question is where to put you… Ah. That's it."_

_"What is?"_

_"What drives you, Ms. Lovegood?"_

_"I'm not sure what you mean."_

_"That's quite alright. In a few years, you will understand. Since you have had so many questions for me, do you have any others before I send you to your house?"_

_"No but thank you for satisfying my curiosity."_

_"Exactly." _Luna was sure if the hat could, it would have winked at her. "_In that case, better be…_RAVENCLAW."

Luna took the hat off, handed it to the Professor, and looked over to Ginny standing in the crowd of first years. Ginny smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up. It was okay that they wouldn't be in the same house. Nothing would pull them apart. With a wide smile, Luna walked down to the cheering crowd of students in blue. The blue and bronze crest of Ravenclaw had replaced the Hogwarts crest on her robes.

Luna sat down with the other first year Ravenclaws in the cluster of empty seats halfway down the table. The rest of the sorting passed in a blur. She clapped when each student was called out and made room on the bench for the next Ravenclaw girl to sit next to her. Her focus was on one of the last to be sorted. Weasley, Ginny. She knew how it would go but was still thrilled for her friend when the hat called out "GRYFFINDOR." Her eyes met Ginny's and gave her a thumbs up and bright smile. It was what her friend wanted, and Luna knew there was no better place for her.

After the Headmaster's announcements, platters filled with food appeared on the plates, much to the startlement of many of the students. The roar of hundreds of conversations started to fill the hall. Luna turned to the girl next to her and introduced herself, "Hi. I'm Luna. What's your name?"

"Anne."

"Nice to meet you, Anne. What do you think of Hogwarts?"

"It's nice, I guess," Anne mumbled.

"I think so too. Do you have any siblings that went here?"

"No."

"Same. I'm an only child, but a friend of mine has six older brothers who have all come here. They say it is incredible. There is so much magic here, like you can almost reach out and touch it… Actually, of course you can touch it. The food in front of us just appeared, there are candles floating in the air above us, you can see the sky through a solid roof above us, and we both just put on a talking hat."

"I guess," Anne said with a smile.

Luna smiled back, "It's all pretty incredible right?"

"Yeah. I've never seen anything like this before."

"Are you from a magical family?"

"Not really."

Luna frowned, trying to puzzle out what that response meant, "So you are from a magical family that doesn't use magic?"

"No," Anne said with a blush, "My dad is a muggle and my Mum is a squib."

"Cool!" Luna replied, to Anne's shock, "Could you explain what a fellytone is? My friend's father is obsessed with all things muggle."

"A fellytone?"

"Yeah, a fellytone. Apparently, it kidnaps your voice. It looks kind of like a stretched-out U."

"Do you mean a telephone?"

"Maybe. The problem is I only sort of know what a fellytone is and have never heard of a telephone before. It sounds like something involving telepathy."

"Um… It's like a machine that lets you talk to someone far away. It carries your voice from your side, through wires, and to the person on the other side."

"Oh. Like a floo call."

"A floo?"

"Well, if a fireplace is connected to the floo network, you can throw some floo powder into it and turn the flames green. Then you just need to say where you want to go, and the floo takes you there. Some people use it to call also by only sticking their heads in it."

"That sounds pretty similar, only without the whole teleportation thing."

"If there is no teleportation, then why is it called a telephone?"

"I have honestly no idea."

"When did you learn about magic?" Luna asked. If Anne didn't know about the floo network but knew about things like telephones, it seemed likely that she grew up completely in the muggle world.

"When I got my letter."

"What was that like? I have always known I was a witch, but it must have been a shock for you. Did you think it was all a big joke?"

"Not really. My Dad thought it was a joke, but as soon as my Mum recognized it as soon as she saw the letter. She tried to explain it to us, but we thought she was crazy until my grandparents came over and proved us wrong. In hindsight, it explained a lot of strange things about them, like how they never knew how to use the microwave… and you probably have no idea what I am talking about anymore, do you?" Anne asked, feeling self-conscious again.

"No, but that's fine. What is a microwave?"

"It's a little box you can put food in to heat it up."

"Cool… or not cool. Hot maybe? Whenever we heat stuff up at home, we just use warming charms."

"It must be nice to be able to do magic. It probably makes things like chores much easier."

"I wouldn't know. We aren't allowed to do magic outside of school until we are of age."

"Oh. That's a bit disappointing."

"But hey, that's why we are here at school, right? So we can do magic without getting in trouble."

"Not to learn?"

"Well to learn also, but mainly to do magic without getting in trouble," Luna said with a smile.

Anne chuckled also, before sighing. "You seem like a nice person Luna. I'm glad we are in the same house."

"Me too, Anne."

"Oh, I should probably ask you. Do you like animals?"

"Of course!"

"Oh. Good. The school list said I could bring a pet, so I brought my little kitten Pumpernickel. He is only a couple months old, and I didn't want to leave him at home…"

"He sounds adorable. I would love to meet him."

"Good. That's a relief."

"Friends?" Luna asked, holding out her hand.

"Friends." Anne replied.

* * *

_Tom!_

_Yes, Ginny?_

_You won't believe it!_ Ginny continued. She was crouched in her bed with the hangings pulled closed and a bottle of ink perched on her pillow. It had been an incredible day. _I got sorted into Gryffindor._

_Congratulations Ginerva. You wanted to be with the rest of your family. I am happy you got your wish. _

_I know you wanted me to go to a different house Tom, but can't you be happy for me?_

_I am happy for you. I only mentioned it earlier because you are always so upset by your brothers picking on you and leaving you out. Moving to a different house would show independence and move you out of their shadow. School can often be a fresh start, and I thought you should consider taking advantage of that._

_I did think about it, but even the Sorting Hat agrees that I should be in Gryffindor. It's the best place for me._

_I do not doubt that. If you are happy, I am happy._

_Thank you, Tom._

_You are perfectly welcome Ginny. How was the feast?_

_Excellent… although the food wasn't quite as good as Mum's. _Ginny added loyally.

_I am sure. I have often observed that people prefer the familiarity of home cooking over the school meals, no matter how well prepared. How were your new year mates?_

_Well… I didn't really talk to them that much. I mainly sat with my brothers. They were so happy for me getting in. Do you think I made a mistake?_

_Absolutely not. You have seven years to get to know your classmates. Your first year at school is always stressful. Your dorm mates will find it difficult as well. It may be best to focus on trying to become comfortable yourself first and getting to know them later. If sitting with your brothers and listening to their stories makes you comfortable, then I fully support it. Of course, I am always here for you to talk to during meals if you ever feel lonely._

_Thank you, Tom. You're a good friend. _

_It is no trouble at all Ginny. It is why I am here, after all._

_Tom?_

_Yes?_

_You mentioned before that you "observed" people like home cooking better than school meals. What did you mean?_

_I was an orphan Ginny. I have never had a homecooked meal._

_I am so sorry Tom!_

_There is nothing that can be done. It is the lot I was born with, and I know no other. Besides, it is not as if I can eat as a diary._

_Oh. Well I'm still sorry. You must have thought I was being terrible before complaining about my brothers when you don't have a family._

_You did not know, so I will not hold it against you._

_Thank you for being so understanding Tom… It's getting kind of late, so I think I will turn in. I think everyone else in my dorm is already asleep._

_Goodnight Ginerva._

_Goodnight Tom._

* * *

**A/N: **And so their first year at Hogwarts begins. Please Review!


	3. Chapter 3: Trust Me

**Chapter 3: Trust Me**

_It was dark. The air was filled with steam and odd smells. She was sitting on a bench facing a table filled with vials and cut up plants. A cauldron was bubbling merrily on her left, spewing blue smoke into the air. A girl with black hair was sitting on her right. She knew the girl. It was a classmate of hers. Olivia. She was at Hogwarts, and this was Potions. The surly teacher paced in the back of the room, his black robes swishing as he moved. The smoke curled in his wake._

_She turned to look at a chalkboard in the front of the room and reached down to stir her cauldron a few times. It was starting to turn a mellow orange color. It was almost time to add the chopped petals. The girl next to her said something. She turned to look at her, but something caught her eye. Behind the girl, a cauldron had turned an angry red. It was bubbling viciously. The professor had just noticed as well and was walking over. A thought flashed through her head. She knew what was about to happen. He would not be fast enough. She grabbed her partner and pulled her under the table. The other girl scowled at her. She mumbled something and held her under the table. A moment passed. Other students noticed them crouched under the table. They were looking at her oddly. They were laughing. Another second passed, then another. Olivia tried to pull away when the room erupted into a flash of light. _

_…_

_She was walking down a familiar corridor. She had a book bag hanging on her shoulder. Another girl was walking with her. It was her friend. Her only friend. That can't be right. She has other friends, doesn't she? Does she? If she does, then how is this her only friend? Her only remaining friend. A shiver ran down her spine. _

_They walked into the common room. She needed to go grab something from their room, and her friend waited downstairs. She climbed the stairs and opened their door. In the middle of the floor was something furry. Next to it lay an empty wrapper. She screamed. Her friend ran up the stairs and saw the animal on the floor. She ran over and picked it up, sobbing. Other girls appear, drawn by their cries. Her friend looked at her with eyes full of tears. She said something. Something hurtful. She can't mean it. It doesn't make sense. She can't be here. This is wrong. She had to get away. She turned and ran._

_She ran out through the common room, past all those staring faces. Someone in the corner snickered, but she was already out into the hallway. The portraits blurred by. She didn't have a destination in mind. She only knew she had to get away._

_The torches got farther and farther apart. The portraits got fewer. She no longer recognized the hallway. She couldn't look back. She couldn't stop running. She didn't want to think. It hurt too much. She stumbled into a dark, dusty classroom and collapsed onto the floor. Tears streamed down her face and puddled on the floor. The room filled with the sound of her sobbing._

"Luna!"

_A voice cut through the dream._

"Luna!"

_The room started to shake._

"Wake up!"

_The dream shattered._ Luna jerked awake. She was in her bed in her dorm room. Anne was standing next to her.

"Are you okay?" Anne asked.

Luna rubbed her eyes and shook her head. The room was still swimming, and her head pounded. Her other roommates all looked over at her from their own beds with concern. "What happened? What time is it?" Luna asked in a hoarse voice.

"It's a bit before seven. You were screaming. I kept trying to wake you up, but nothing worked," Anne said, her voice full of concern. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Water."

Olivia, the girl Luna was sitting next to in her dream, walked to the bathroom and returned with a glass of water. "Thank you," Luna said, taking a sip.

"Maybe we should get a prefect." Chloe suggested from the other side of the room.

Luna shook her head, "I'm fine. I'm sorry for waking you all up."

Anne reached over, put her hand on Luna's shoulder, looked her in the eye, and asked, "Are you sure you are alright?"

"Yeah. Thank you."

"Is there anything we can do?"

"No. I'm fine," Luna shrugged her off. There were some things that she needed to carry on her own.

Anne nodded, but she reached down and picked up her little kitten and set him down on Luna's lap. The little brown fur-ball looked up at Luna with his big eyes and licked her hand. Luna reached over and started to gently pet him. At least someone understood. Some things couldn't be shared.

Around the room, her dorm mates started getting dressed and ready for the day. Only Becca remained in her bed, refusing to be up so early on a weekend. Despite only being in school for two weeks, the normalcy of their routine and Pumpernickel curled up on her lap made the dreams slowly fade away.

After a few minutes, she gently moved Pumpernickel from her lap. He looked up at her, a bit disappointed. "I'm sorry, but I need to get moving. Thank you for cheering me up this morning," She whispered to the kitten.

"Mew," he purred and licked her hand one last time and jumped down from the bed. It was almost like he understood what she said.

Her dorm mates slowly started drifting down to the common room. They agreed to wait a few minutes for everyone to get up. Luna was still the last one to be ready. She grabbed her book bag and put her diary inside. She needed to fill it out soon, lest she forget some details from her dreams, but she didn't want to make her friends wait. Friends. That is a nice word. So happy and hopeful. She pulled her bag over her shoulder and started to leave the room. "Don't wait for me," Becca groaned from her bed, "I'm going to get more sleep. It's the weekend for Merlin's sake."

"Okay. I'm sorry for waking you up earlier."

"It's fine. Just please close the door when you leave," Becca replied before pulling her curtains shut.

"Sleep well," Luna replied as she climbed down the stairs.

The first year Ravenclaw girls (well, most of them) sat down at the sparsely populated Ravenclaw table. They had come down during the mid-morning lull after the early birds finished but before the late risers (most of the school) got up. Even the faculty table was empty. It was a pleasant time to have breakfast. Luna asked Anne to pass the hot water to make a cup of tea. It was especially nice to have a quiet breakfast after that night. After those dreams. Anne handed the kettle with a small smile. On the other side of the table, Chloe and Olivia were having a spirited debate about which Lockhart book was the best. At least they weren't asking her about her dreams, something Luna appreciated to no end.

"How can you not like _Voyaging with Vampires_? It has VAMPIRES!"

"Have you ever met a vampire? They are nothing to laugh about. I don't care what your novels say."

"But how can _Magical Me_ be your favorite. He doesn't do anything heroic?"

"That's the point. It puts all of his other books into context. It's where he shares the person underneath the hero."

Anne made a gagging noise, and Luna needed to raise her hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle. Chloe turned to glare at them, "Don't you even start Miss Sarcastic. I saw you staring at him during class."

"You know full well that was shock. He literally gave us a test that asked what his favorite color was."

"It was valid. We were supposed to read the books before class, and that information was in the books. You are just mad since you did worse than the rest of us."

"Come on. That grade didn't even count."

"Still."

"I wouldn't drink the pumpkin juice if I were you," Luna whispered to Olivia, "I suspect a fuzzlewump put a curse on it."

Anne immediately spit her mouthful of juice back into her cup. "What?!"

"Well, you and Chloe both drank the pumpkin juice right before you started fighting, so it makes sense."

Olivia pushed the jug away from her, "What's a fuzzlewump?"

"A tiny insect, about half the size of a Sickle, that curses beverages. Drinking the cursed liquid makes people extremely volatile. I thought they usually only cursed alcoholic beverages, but who knows."

Olivia and Chloe shared a worried look and moved the pumpkin juice farther down the table. Anne leaned over and whispered in Luna's ear, "Are there really fuzzlewumps or was that just an excuse to stop our argument?"

"Of course they're real. Just they are native to equatorial countries, not England. It is much too cold here," Luna replied with a conspiratorial twinkle in her eye. "Devon Pixies, on the other hand, are something we should be more worried about. I hope the Hogwarts wards keep them out. They can be rather nasty."

"Luna…"

"No. I'm serious. Their venom can be mixed with most liquids and is quite tasteless. It causes paralysis within a few minutes of ingestion. They also have an odd fixation with pumpkins, so I would suspect they would love pumpkin juice."

The Ravenclaw boys started to arrive at breakfast and received a very serious warning from Olivia not to drink the pumpkin juice. Luna and Anne excused themselves from the table and started to walk up to the library.

"Why did you even tell me the fuzzlewumps weren't real? You could easily have tricked me as well," Anne asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

"It's much more fun if someone else knows, or at least suspects. What's the point of a joke if no one else gets it?"

Anne nodded, "Well thanks for letting me in."

"When we get to the library, I want to introduce you to my friend Ginny. She said she would be there this morning, probably to work on the Transfiguration homework. We grew up together, and she's really nice."

"Cool," Anne replied. Then she looked through her book bag. "Wait a minute. I forgot my notes in the dormitory."

"Do you want me to go back with you?"

"No. You go ahead. I'll meet you in the library."

A few minutes later, Luna was walking down the hallway to the library. She had all her study materials and was excited for the morning. She had not had the chance to spend much time with Ginny after Hogwarts started and hoped this would be a good opportunity to reconnect and introduce her new friend. She brought lots of extra parchment and ink (both black and bright purple), her class notes, and half completed essays. It was going to be a good morning.

She turned into the library. Despite still being the early morning, it was already bustling with students sitting at the many tables and moving between the shelves. The librarian patrolled the room and provided forceful reminders to anyone who breached the silence of the library. The books. The quiet. The library was one of Luna's favorite places in the castle. The perfect indoor location. Luna wandered through the tall shelves holding ancient tomes, full of information and knowledge just waiting to be tapped. She finally spotted Ginny sitting at a table in the corner with a heavy book propped up in front of her. Ginny's back was to her, and she couldn't call out or risk the wrath of Madam Pince. She walked up to Ginny and glanced over her friend's shoulder to see what assignment she was working on. A chill ran down her spite when she saw the small book Ginny was writing ferociously in. She couldn't make out the words, yet something was very wrong here. Luna pulled up a chair opposite Ginny, sat down, and said, "Hello."

Ginny looked up startled with an odd look in her eye. Instead of a normal greeting, she slammed the book closed. There was something wrong.

"Are you alright Ginny?" Luna asked as she pulled out her notes for Transfiguration.

"Fine," she replied, "What do you want?"

There was definitely something very wrong. Her eyes were different. They were still the same color and shape, but they were hard and angry, like they had been consumed by a cold flame. A raging inferno. A cold anger radiated off her, and Luna could almost feel the temperature of the room dropping. "We agreed to study today…"

"I'd rather not study with _you_."

"Are you okay Ginny? Why are you mad at me?" Luna said with her voice filled with concern.

"I am fine. I would prefer to be left alone."

"This isn't like you…"

"I. Am. Fine!" Ginny growled. Anger and hatred radiated from her, and, somehow, from the little book she had been writing in earlier. The little book. No, it can't be. Luna had warned her. She had agreed.

"Ginny, can I see that book?" Luna reached across the table to grab it.

"No. Go Away!" Ginny yelled and gave her a hard shove. She tumbled backwards and fell to the ground.

"Ginny…"

Something flickered in Ginny's eye. She rapidly gathered up her books and rushed out of the library, leaving Luna stunned and hurt on the ground.

Luna slowly trudged back to the common room, turning the conversation over and over in her head. It just didn't make sense. Why was Ginny so angry at her? When they spoke at the end of class on Thursday to make plans for this morning, she seemed fine. Why was she so angry? What did she do? What could she do?

Even more disturbing, however, was she saw this. She dreamed this. She didn't realize how badly it would end up, but she knew Ginny would be angry. She knew there was going to be sitting there with that odd little book that she was so protective of. She knew that Ginny would be radiating that cold burning fury. She knew when she looked Ginny in the eye, she would not see her friend, but something else. Someone else. Luna didn't know how, but the book was connected, and she had tried to warn Ginny. She had assumed Ginny would take her warning seriously, but she didn't. It all just blew up in her face. Ginny was not Ginny anymore because of her dream. It was all her fault.

"Luna? I thought we were meeting in the library… Luna … are you alright?"

Luna looked up to see Anne standing in front of her. She was supposed to introduce her to Ginny. They were supposed to become friends also. Instead, Ginny just hates her. Will she make Anne hate her too? When will Anne stop being Anne? Luna dropped her bag and collapsed against the wall, sobbing.

Anne crouched down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Are you okay?"

"Not really."

"What happened?"

"Promise me. Promise me you will never let any chocolate into our dorm room," Luna said, looking up at Anne with her red eyes and tear streaked face.

"What? Sure."

"No, I'm serious," Luna said, grabbing Anne's shoulder, "You need to promise me. Promise me!"

"Alright. Alright. I promise."

"Thank you," Luna replied. She leaned back against the wall and took some deep breaths. She was exhausted. Hopefully this would be enough. It had to be enough. She reached up to wipe her face dry.

"What was this about?"

"I can't tell you. Please just trust me. Please."

"I trust you," Anne affirmed. She was worried about what could have shaken Luna this badly. "I thought we were meeting in the library."

"We were, but not anymore."

"Why? Aren't we supposed to meet your friend Ginny there?"

"I don't know if Ginny is still my friend."

"Oh… Did you have a fight?"

"Sort of… I'd rather not talk about it," Luna sighed. "Can we just go back to the common room?"

"Sure," Anne replied. She gave Luna a hand standing up and helped the exhausted girl walk back to the common room. Something happened between Luna and Ginny. Anne didn't know what it was, but now Luna was terrified of chocolate. She had only known Luna for a couple weeks, but she trusted her. Anything that could scare her this badly was not something to be messed with. She was already careful about leaving unwrapped chocolate out because of Pumpernickel, but with Luna's new warning, she would be even more vigilant. For some unfathomable reason, no chocolate could enter their dorm room. She would need to spread the word to her other dorm mates. None of the candy would cross the threshold.

Luna was sitting on her bed. _Standard Book of Spells: Grade 1_ sat propped up on her pillow, and Pumpernickel lay curled up in her lap. He had walked up to her as soon as she arrived in the room that morning being supported by Anne and had refused to leave her side all day. Luna turned the page of the book, and he reached out with one of his little paws and swatted the corner, pushing it back. She tried to turn the page again, but he pushed it back again. Luna giggled, "Silly kitten. I need to read that."

Pumpernickel turned to face her with his big bright yellow eyes and replied, "Mew."

"I guess I studied enough anyways. Let's find something to play with," Luna replied. She gently lifted him onto her bed and rummaged around in her trunk for a ball of yarn. She always found yarn to be one of those things you never thought you needed until a crisis when it is an urgent necessity and there is no way of getting some. Sort of like tape, aluminum, and carrots. Another item it is important to never leave home without. She unwound a bit and held it in the air. Pumpernickel stood up on his back paws and tried to swat it. It was so nice to spend time just playing with the little kitten. Time to forget about her dreams and schoolwork and her fight with Ginny. Time to just be content.

The door to the dorm room opened, and Anne walked in. "Come on Luna. It's dinner time. Everyone is waiting for you in the common room," She said as she walked over to pour some food in a bowl for Pumpernickel.

"I'd rather just stay here."

"You can't just hide in the dorm room. You didn't even eat lunch today," Anne replied, setting down the bowl of food next to the bowl of water. "Pumpernickel needs to eat also."

The kitten jumped down from the bed and walked over to the food. "Traitor," Luna grumbled.

The kitten turned around, looked her in the eye, and said, "mew" before turning back to his food. Was that a reproachful look in his eye?

"You are all ganging up on me."

"Exactly. Even Pumpernickel agrees. You can't keep hiding up here, moping. You need to eat. You need to leave the room."

"I'm coming," Luna replied as she pulled on her shoes. "Let's go."

They walked down to the common room where the rest of her dorm mates were waiting sitting on a group of chairs clustered around one of the windows. The sunset really was spectacular. All those incredible colors.

Chloe spotted them as they reached the foot of the stairs, "They're down. You feeling any better Luna?"

"A bit."

"Good. Then let's all head to dinner."

As the group walked down to the Great Hall, Chloe and Becca told them about their encounter with the Whomping Willow. After Harry Potter's infamous flying car crash, Professor Sprout had put the broken branches in little slings. Thinking this would be a great opportunity to observe the rare tree up-close without much risk, Becca and Chloe took a hike to it that afternoon. However, even broken limbs did not stop the tree, and they barely avoided being hit. Becca was convinced she caught a glimpse of a tunnel of some kind underneath the tree before they were driven away.

"But why would there be a tunnel under the tree?" Chloe insisted. "It just doesn't make any sense."

"Maybe it is a secret passage," Anne suggested.

"But where would it go to? There is no point in having a passage that no one can get to. What do you think Luna?"

"I guess I'm with Becca. Maybe the tree is guarding something for safekeeping. Like the stone from Flamel that Goldstein says was kept in the castle last year."

"But how would anyone get to it."

"There would need to be a trick of some kind. A way that only the owner could get through."

"I guess it's possible, but hasn't that tree been there forever? Someone would have figured the trick out by now."

Luna shrugged in response. "Then maybe a blood badger lives under the willow, and the tunnel is its lair."

"A what?" Anne asked as she held the door to the Great Hall open so they could all file in.

"A blood badger," Luna replied as she took her seat at the table.

"What are you all talking about?" Liam, one of the first-year boys asked.

"Becca thinks there is a tunnel underneath the Whomping Willow, and Luna was telling us how it could be a den for a creature called a blood badger." Chloe replied.

"Oh. Please tell us, Luna. What is this creature known as a _blood_ _badger_?"

Luna wasn't sure, but was there sarcasm in his voice? It didn't matter. The others probably wanted to hear about it even if he didn't. She gestured to Max to pass the shepherd's pie and placed a portion on her plate before replying. "Blood Badgers are known to have a symbiotic relationship with many semi-sentient plants like Whomping Willows and Stabbing Spruce. They suck the blood of their prey and bury drained carcasses for the trees to eat. The trees in turn provide protection for the badgers burrows."

"Eww. Luna, could you have saved that explanation for some other time? Like when we are not trying to eat." Olivia said. "That's horrible."

"You did ask," Luna replied before taking a bite of her pie. It was quite good. The school elves got the perfect amount of salt. Once she found the kitchens, she would need to thank them. Their food was generally excellent.

"That sounds _awesome_," Liam replied. "I wish I could see one."

"Well if there is a burrow under the Whomping Willow, you can go over and see it."

"That is, if they even exist," Liam replied with a cruel chuckle. Another one of the boys also laughed. His name was Evan.

"They do."

"Of course they do. Just like Nargles and fuzzlewumps and Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. Guess what, Lovegood. I had some time today, so I went to ask the Care of Magical Creatures professor about some of them. I was such a fool. I thought the Snorkacks sounded cool and wanted to find out more. Guess what she replied. Come on. Someone guess."

"No idea," Chloe replied, "Why don't you tell us?"

"Of course," Liam said with a cruel smile. He turned to look Luna in the eye and said, "She said they don't exist."

"They do exist," Luna insisted.

"No. They don't. It explains everything. It explains why none of us have heard of them. Why whenever I go to the library to read up on one of the things that sound interesting, I can't find any books. Why are you lying to us?"

"I'm not lying," Luna said in a quiet voice.

"What. _Nargles_ got your tongue?"

"I'm not lying."

"Yes you are! Just admit it."

"Back off Liam." Chloe said.

"Maybe she isn't lying. What if she really believes in this stuff?" Evan suggested. "What other things do you believe in?"

"Huh?" Luna asked, still having trouble processing everything.

"Please stop," Anne said in a quiet voice. They needed to stop attacking her friend. She might be a bit odd at times, but she was a nice person. Her opinions might be unusual, but these creatures could very well exist.

"I mean. It's obvious. She is not conniving enough to be trying to trick us all. She must actually believe all this stuff. She's a conspiracy theory nut! Do you think the world is flat?"

"No. Of course not."

"Is the minister conspiring with several important families to overthrow the government and install a dictatorship through poor dental hygiene?"

"You mean the Root-fang Conspiracy? I guess it's possible. I read some good articles about them if you want to …"

"Ha! I knew it!"

"Let me have a shot. Is Gringotts trying to steal all the wealth from the wizards."

"Well they are a bank…."

"Stop it." Anne cut in.

"No. It's fun." Liam replied. "Is Atlantis real?"

"Yes, but it vanished without a trace."

"Then why are there no records of it?"

"Because they were all destroyed…"

"If you can't prove that, are the werewolves trying to destroy the wizards by decimating the cow population?"

Luna couldn't take this anymore.

"Your dad edits the Quibbler, right? Does he believe all these things too?"

She had to get away.

"Did your Mom really leave you because you are nuts?"

Luna fled the Great Hall in tears, and the trance was broken. "You bloody bastards!" Anne yelled and rushed out of the hall after Luna. As the door closed behind her, she could hear Chloe scolding, "What is wrong with you?"

She stopped in the hallway to think for a minute. Luna could have gone anywhere in the castle… If she had to start searching somewhere, she supposed she would start with the dormitory. With that, Anne set off to find her friend.

Sure enough, she found Luna sitting on her bed holding Pumpernickel. She sat down next to her and said, "I still believe you."

"Thank you," Luna replied. The pair sat in silence as they watched Pumpernickel try to climb up Anne's bed. Luna was grateful she didn't say anything more. Sometimes silence was the best. It had been a long day.

The door to the room opened and the other girls walked in. Chloe spoke up and said, "I'm sorry Luna. They were horrible to you. We all should have tried to stop them sooner."

"It's all right…"

"No, it isn't. I just need you to know that we all have your back," Chloe insisted. Olivia and Becca nodded in agreement.

Despite the horrid day, Luna fell asleep that night happy. Despite the Ravenclaw boys, despite her fight with Ginny, and despite her fear of the future, she had friends. More importantly, they trusted and believed her. Nothing could change that.

* * *

_I must have dozed off…_

_It seems so. Do you remember? We were talking about your Potions essay while you waited for Luna._

_How long was I out for?_

_Not too long. It felt like a short time, even for me. Probably no more than ten to fifteen minutes. _

_Arg… I can't believe I just fell asleep like that! It isn't like me at all._

_You are under a lot of stress with classes and the new environment. It is perfectly understandable for your body to just give up every now and then. I would not worry too much about it. Shall we return to the discussion of the potions essay?_

_Yeah. If I remember, you were talking about essences or something?_

_Yes. When adding ingredients into a potion, it is not always the object themselves that are important, but instead what they contain. Some other ingredients are added only for their physical properties while their magical components can be easily neglected or negated. These can be replaced if an equivalent physical source can be found. For example, mistletoe berries are used to increase the density of the potion. In the Forgetfulness potion it makes the body take a longer time to absorb. In the Antidote for Common Poisons, it keeps the ground bezoar from falling out of suspension. Do you understand?_

_I think so._

_In that case you should probably start writing the essay. I could keep explaining principles for you, but the essay is due tomorrow. You may as well bite the bullet and start writing. I will be happy to answer any questions you have, but we should leave off discussions of potion fundamentals for another day._

_What's a bullet?_

_A bullet is like a small stone that muggles use to kill each other by launching them at high speeds. "Biting a bullet" means to stop delaying and get to work. It was used often where I grew up._

_Tom…_

_Yes Ginny?_

_Do you think Luna is coming? I've been here for hours._

_I do not think so. I am sorry._

_But why? She promised._

_I think she has started moving on. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, school is a new start. She probably took that opportunity._

_But…_

_Ginny, your friend Luna got sorted into a different house. You will not have much opportunity to interact, so she probably is trying to become comfortable there. I know you still want to be friends, but it may be best if you only remain friends at home. It may be best for both of you._

_But I still want to be her friend._

_And she does not want to be yours, in school at least. Put it out of your mind for now and focus on your studies. You can try to reconnect over the summer._

_That makes sense. Thank you for your help Tom, and for your advice._

_Any time Ginerva. Any time._

* * *

**A/N:** If you like the story, please favorite, follow, and/or review. In the next chapter, things start spiraling out of control.


	4. Chapter 4: Ten Seconds

**Chapter 4: Ten Seconds**

Luna arrived in the Great Hall late for breakfast, and she slid into the empty seat next to Anne. She picked up a couple pieces of toast. "Glad to see you finally join us," Chloe said as she passed the jam.

"If they wanted us to be at breakfast early, they wouldn't schedule Astronomy to start at midnight. Besides, Professor Sinistra asked to talk to me after class. I didn't get back to the room until you lot were all asleep," Luna replied.

"Is Becca up yet?"

"She was starting to move when I left. Hopefully she'll be down before breakfast is over."

"It's a good thing we don't have class this morning. That class was pretty exhausting."

"You do realize we should have had class last week, but it got canceled because of the weather," Anne cut in.

"One of the many advantages of a class dependent on the sky," Luna replied, "Although now that I think of it, it was a bit surprising that as a magical society no one has developed any methods for controlling weather on a large scale…"

"Luna."

"… Actually, if the Great Hall ceiling can mimic the sky above, why can't we just have Astronomy in a room with a similar enchantment to show us the sky above the cloud line …"

"Luna."

"… Then again, we could just enchant the room to show the night sky somewhere else in the world. It has to be night somewhere…"

"Luna. You're rambling."

"Oh. Sorry. What were we talking about?"

"I give up," Anne sighed, "What are you thinking of doing this morning Chloe?"

"Not sure. I finished all my homework already, and we don't have any classes until double Potions after lunch."

"We could go down to the lake and look for the Giant Squid," Luna suggested.

"Or we could go back to sleep?" A very tired Becca suggested as she sat down next to Olivia.

"If you are so tired, why are you up?" Olivia asked.

"Food," Becca groaned as she filled a bowl with porridge.

"We could head to the library to finish the Charms essay for next week," Anne suggested.

"Or we could go down to the lake and look for the Giant Squid," Luna repeated.

"Not sure about the squid, but the lake sounds nice," Chloe said. "Yeah, let's go to the lake. You can bring your essay Anne, Becca can take a nap, and Luna can go squid hunting. Are we all agreed? Good. I want to go grab some books from the room, so I'll meet you down there in say half an hour."

They continued to eat for a few minutes before Luna also stood up. "I need to go deliver this letter. You want to come Anne?"

"Sorry. I'm going to grab Pumpernickel. He hasn't been to the lake yet."

"Okay. See you there," Luna replied, and she walked out to the owlery to send her weekly letter back home to her father.

* * *

The five girls spent a pleasant morning on the lake. The air was still wonderfully warm despite the seasons beginning to change. Olivia read a novel while Anne, Chloe, and Luna showed Pumpernickel the lake. Becca joined them to skip rocks after her nap. Luna never did convince anyone to go squid hunting, or rather squid searching as she didn't intend on hurting the squid after all. She still was able to catch a glimpse of out in the middle of the lake. In all it was a pleasant morning, and the friends went inside after a wave of clouds moved to block out the sun. After lunch, they dispersed to get their materials for the double potions with the Hufflepuffs.

Luna and Anne arrived at the class a few minutes early and went to their usual places in the front of the class. Luna took out her potions kit and set up her cauldron. While Professor Snape had yet to make an appearance and the blackboard was still blank, he had warned them they would be brewing Calming Draughts during class. Besides, the double potions were always used for brewing. Luna glanced through her textbook to review the recipe. Professor Snape usually gave a few points to students who correctly guessed the ingredients or instructions, and there was a friendly competition among the Ravenclaws as to who would get the points. Well, relatively friendly. Liam did tease her when she was able to guess toadstool last class and some of the others laughed, but her friends still congratulated her. That's it. Always focus on the positive, Luna. Besides, no matter who guessed it, the points went to Ravenclaw. The Hufflepuffs rarely answered any questions, but that may be because Professor Snape seemed to hate them. Well, not hate, but at least distrust. He usually hovered in the back of the class where they sat, watching their cauldrons and ensuring nothing exploded. Some people may consider that a bit intimidating, but Luna thought it was nice that their teacher was so obviously concerned about their safety.

Anne leaned over her and whispered, "Have you tried to talk to Ginny again?"

"What?" Luna jumped and knocked into her cauldron, almost toppling it over.

"Luna. Back to earth. Potions is probably the last place you should be daydreaming."

"Well, there are no fires going yet. In fact, class hasn't even started. Most of the other students aren't even here yet," Luna insisted.

"I asked you if you tried to talk to Ginny again."

"Not yet."

Their conversation was interrupted as Olivia sat down next to Luna. It looked Like she would be sharing the table with Olivia today. Usually Olivia, the girl who struggled most with potions, would sit next to Becca or Anne, the girls best at potions, but it looked like those seats were taken. Luna mentally shrugged. It looked like Chloe was sitting with Becca today, and the seat next to Anne was filled with potions equipment. When had that happened? Luna looked around the room in surprise. All of the other students were already there. Even Liam and Evan were in their usual seats, directly behind Luna, ready to laugh at everything she said. It was all a bit unnerving. Maybe she really should focus a bit more.

Professor Snape entered the classroom from the storage room with a tray of something bright yellow. He set it on his desk and the entire room fell silent. "Today we will be preparing Stasis Solutions," Professor Snape quietly announced. "Can anyone tell me the conceptual similarity between a Stasis Solution and a Calming Draught?"

Anne's hand shot into the air. The professor pointed at her and she said, "They both slow the object they are applied to. Calming Draughts suppress brain activity and reduce the heart rate. Stasis solutions freezes the object permanently."

"Correct. Five points to Ravenclaw. A Stasis Solution can be treated as a much more potent version of a Calming Draught. Functionally, they both relax the system onto which they are applied. In fact, just like overdosing on Calming Draught can place a person in a coma, so too can ingesting a weakened Stasis Solution. Stasis Solutions are usually applied to an object, preserving it for long periods of time.

"Stasis Solutions have several advantages over the stasis charm," Professor Snape continued. "They provide a more perfect protection against decay, are not removable by a simple counter curse, and last indefinitely. If you wish to ever preserve an object against the passage of time, it would be necessary to use a Stasis Solution. Luckily for you, Stasis Solutions also have the added benefit of being almost impossible to overboil. As soon as the potion is ready, it turns a bright gold and is, for all intents and purposes, unalterable. I expect even the least competent of you to be able to brew a satisfactory potion today. As the true measure of a potion is how it performs, I will be testing each of your potions on the plants sitting next to Ms. Palmer. I will be very disappointed in anyone whose plant does not look exactly the same in a week. Instructions are on the board. Your samples of amber are on my desk. Please proceed."

Luna flipped to the page and looked over the ingredients. Satisfied the instructions were identical to those written on the chalkboard, she walked over to the tap to fill the cauldron with water and began chopping the daisy roots. She would need to add them with the crocodile heart as soon as the water started to boil.

"You never answered my question," Anne whispered to her over her simmering cauldron.

"What question."

"What you are going to do about Ginny."

"Really? You're asking me during class?" Luna replied.

"Yeah. Snape is already in the back hovering by Janice. As long as we are working, we won't get in trouble. Besides, it matters."

"I don't know."

"What are you thinking?"

"I don't know," Luna whispered furiously. "Why do you care so much?"

"Because you're my friend, and Ginny is your friend. You need to reconnect with her."

Luna added her herbs and thought for a moment, "I must have made her angry at me somehow. I just don't know what. I was thinking of maybe trying to give her a peace offering… She is kind of obsessed with chocolate. Maybe she would like that?"

"I guess. Why don't you try it?"

"Well first I don't have any…"

"Bad excuse Luna. I know a fourth year who is willing to pick up candy from Hogsmead for those of use who still can't go."

"Maybe, but what would I say? I don't even know what I did."

"Luna, you are her friend. You have known each other for ages. Just talk to her. Be honest."

"I guess," Luna stared at the blue smoke rising from her simmering cauldron. The wisps of smoke curling in the air as they rose from the light blue liquid. It was probably time to add the crushed beetles.

"Hmm… This looks about ready," Anne said. Her cauldron had already turned teal. "I'm going to get the amber. Do you want me to get it for you to?"

"Sure. Thank you."

"What about you Olivia?"

"Yes," Olivia responded. She pressed down her knife, but the beetle bounced away again. "Seriously. Why do we even need to add five beetles? Its not like a beetle is a unit of measurement."

"We don't need a measurement of beetles. The magic is tied to their life force, not their mass. Sort of like how the size of a person does not change their ability to perform magic, or how Klepskies turn anything they bite invisible, no matter how big," Luna replied. Behind her, Liam chuckled. She turned around and saw him whispering to Evan while staring at her. "What do you want?"

"Nothing," He replied with a smirk on his face, "Your explanation is hilarious. What on earth is a Klepsky?"

"Actually, she's right," Max cut in, "I mean, I have no idea if Klepskies or whatever you called them exist, but the potions and magic parts were correct. Magic is often separate from physical mass, especially with living things."

Liam grumbled in reply and left to get his amber. Luna looked back at Max and whispered, "Why did you stand up for me?"

He shrugged, "I could honestly care less if you are insane or a conspiracy theorist or whatever. I just hate misinformation, and people claiming to know things they have no idea about gets on my nerves."

"Is there a problem here?" Anne asked as returned with the potion supplies.

"No," Max replied as he turned back to his potion.

"Luna?"

"Really, everything is fine. Thanks for picking this up for us," Luna said, holding up the amber. Maybe all the boys didn't think she was crazy. Not that it really mattered. Sanity was overrated. She broke her chunk into quarters and added them individually to the cauldron, stirring six times after each one.

"Oh… dang," Olivia growled next to her. She had dropped her amber and two of its chunks had caught fire and melted.

"Here. Take mine. I'm not at that step yet anyways," Chloe reached over and handed Olivia her chunk of amber. "I'll go ask Professor Snape for another one."

Chloe walked to the back of the class, and a few seconds later she walked into the storeroom to return with a bright red chunk. Luna turned to look back at the chalkboard in the front of the room and reached down to stir her cauldron a few more times. The initial blue color had all boiled off, leaving behind a mellow orange. She had to stir for a few more minutes and then she could add the chopped sunflower petals. The blue steam from all the cauldrons had accumulated in the room, almost like a fog, swirling behind any motion. Almost ready.

A voice broke her out of her reverie. Luna turned to Olivia and asked, "What?"

"I asked how long I should stir after adding the amber."

"Until the blue smoke stops rising," Luna replied. She turned to look at Olivia, but something else caught her eye. It was a cauldron that was boiling viciously. Unlike the blues, oranges, and yellows of the correct potion, this was a deep angry red. A sense of dread fell on Luna. She had seen this before. She knew what she had to do. Adrenalin flooded her system, and she grabbed Olivia's arm and pulled her under the table.

"What… Let go," Olivia complained. She tried to pull away, but Luna held her arm tight. There was no time.

She could hear her heart beating in her chest. _Ba Bump. Ba Bump. _It was a wonder it didn't explode.

Liam saw her and tapped Evan on the shoulder, laughing. It didn't matter. This was what she had to do.

_Ba Bump._

Olivia was trying to pull away again, but Luna gripped even harder. It was for her own good.

_Ba Bump._

Some of the other students had started noticing and giggling.

_Ba Bump._

Max looked at her with a puzzled look on his face. She could hear Anne asking her something.

_Ba Bump._

Max looked over the table and saw the potion. His eyes widened.

_Ba Bump._

He started to speak, but Professor Snape was still by the Hufflepuffs. There wasn't enough time. "Professor…"

BOOM!

The room erupted into a flash of light. The ground shook. There was a ringing in Luna's ear. She could smell the smoke. She could see the fire. She could feel the heat. She couldn't breathe. The smoke was suffocating. The world was collapsing around her.

No, she was at Hogwarts. This was Potions. She took a breath of air. It didn't taste like smoke. Instead, it had a metallic smell. Breathe in, breath out. Breathe in, breath out. Luna opened her eyes, and let the world back in.

Only seconds had passed.

She saw Professor Snape sweep by, his wand out. He crouched down, and Luna caught a glimpse of a silver creature standing there for an instant before it vanished. She could hear the professor casting charm after charm, but he was still out of her view. Olivia was crouched next to her under the table. She was in shock but looked physically unhurt. That was good. Luna had acted in time. She had gotten Olivia out of the way.

The rest of the room was in disarray. Many of the students had fallen from their chairs from the explosion. As she looked, she could see the fires under each cauldron disappear. Professor Snape calmly spoke, "Everyone, please remain calm. One of your classmates had an accident with their potion. Everything will be fine. Remain where you are, and I will escort you all out shortly."

Luna could hear another person enter the room. The footsteps were fast and stopped by the professor. She could hear the whispering, but she could not identify the voice. There was some more movement, and Luna could hear a groan before the steps started again, this time leaving the room. Someone must have been hurt. Who could it be?

"Everyone stand up, leave your belongings behind, and calmly exit the classroom. Wait for me in the corridor. Now!" Professor Snape said, snapping the class out of its daze.

Luna stood up and looked around the room. Unlike her initial assumption, there was in fact a lot of smoke. It just was not thick by the ground, but it obscured the forms of the other dazed students. She couldn't make out any of their faces, and she wondered who had been hurt. Her table and the table behind hers had some scorch marks from the blast. Anne tapped her on her shoulder and whispered, "Come on Luna. We need to head outside."

Luna only took a few steps forward before she froze. Olivia's cauldron was laying on the ground tipped over, but otherwise completely intact. Next to it, however, was a small crater with the remains of another cauldron. Surrounding it were shards of metal from the explosion and a pool of blood. No! She had made a terrible mistake! It wasn't Olivia's cauldron that had exploded.

It was Chloe's.

Anne guided her out of the smoke-filled room into the hallway to the remaining Ravenclaw girls. A quick glance confirmed it. Chloe wasn't there. The rest of the class stood completely silent, still shocked. Professor Snape started talking again, but the words didn't register. All that shrapnel. All that blood. She could have done something else. She should have.

Professor Snape returned to the hallway, levitating all the students' books and bags behind him. "The rest of the period is canceled. Instead of completing this potion, you will all write a foot on proper safety practices for class on Friday. Please take your supplies, and then you are dismissed," Professor Snape announced. "Ms. Lovegood and Ms. Meadows, remain behind."

The rest of the class started to clear out. Anne and Becca gave them sympathetic looks before they too left. They were probably heading up to the hospital wing to check up on Chloe. It really was a miracle that no one else had been severely hurt.

"Ms. Meadows, I find it unusual that as the person sitting next to Ms. Jenkins you were completely unharmed. Do you care to explain?"

"Luna pulled me underneath the table," Olivia mumbled, "I would have been hurt if not for her. Is Chloe okay?"

Professor Snape ignored the question, and instead turned to Luna and asked, "Any explanation for your actions Ms. Lovegood?"

"What?" Luna replied. She had not really been paying attention to the conversation, the events of that afternoon playing over and over in her head.

"While it was fortunate for you to pull Ms. Meadows out of the way, that indicates you knew of the danger in advance. Care to explain?"

"Um… I guessed?" Luna suggested. She could not tell him about the dream. She would not. She promised. She could never tell anyone.

"How did you _guess_, Ms. Lovegood?"

"I don't know, sir. I just did, so I pulled Olivia under the table with me."

"Really Ms. Lovegood? If you felt there was a risk to the class, why didn't you inform me?"

"I don't know sir," Luna replied. She flinched as Professor Snape stared at her. It was almost like he was weighing her honesty. What did he think she did? Did he think it was not an accident? Could he think she caused it?

"Do you wish to share anything else with me?"

"Not really, sir."

"Detention, Ms. Lovegood. I expect you back here tonight at eight. If I find you had anything to do with the incident this afternoon, the consequences will be much more severe," Professor Snape said. He turned away and swept into the classroom. The door banged shut behind him, and the corridor was silent.

* * *

Luna and Olivia went directly from Potions to the hospital wing and met Anne and Becca standing outside. Madam Pomfrey had refused them access, claiming Chloe would be fine and now just needed sleep. The Ravenclaws then returned disappointed to their common room, where they were able to ambush a fourth-year boy that Anne believed sold candy and collectively purchased a few packages of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and some Licorice Wands for Chloe. Luna also got a couple Chocolate Frogs for Ginny, which she stashed in an unused broom closet. Their room had a strict no chocolate policy as Pumpernickel was still too little to be trusted not to eat anything left around. That and Luna was taking no chances with her dream, but only Anne knew about that aspect.

Of course, Potions was not the only class they had that afternoon, so the Ravenclaws soon found themselves trudging back out onto the grounds for flying lessons. After all, school must go on, traumatic injury or not.

* * *

The girls returned to the hospital wing later in the day, but Chloe was still unable to have visitors. They were able to leave the candy behind for her when she woke up.

Dinner was a sullen affair, and too soon Luna had to return to the dungeons for her detention. At that hour, the dungeon was completely deserted, the only sound coming from the clicking of Luna's shoes on the stone floor. It felt like she was the only person alive in the entire castle, and Luna was a bit relieved when Professor Snape opened the door and let her into the Potion's classroom.

"Is there anything you would like to tell me," he asked.

Lune shook her head.

"Very well. As the class left in a hurry this afternoon, you will be cleaning up all of their workstations," Professor Snape instructed her. "You may leave when you are finished."

Luna looked around the classroom. While the fires under the cauldrons were out and the potions had been vanished, the room was still in complete disarray. The chairs were left overturned where they fell, and potions ingredients and equipment were left sitting on the benches. To her great relief, the blood had already been cleaned up.

She decided to start in the back of the room. She stood up the fallen chair and looked over the contents of the table. Some of the ingredients were still completely intact, and she returned them to the student's stores. The others were disposed of. She filled a bucket with some soapy water and used it to clean the knives and wipe down the surface. She glanced up and saw Professor Snape sitting at his desk, grading. Figuring it was clean enough, she moved on to the next table. One down, nineteen more to go.

The work was repetitive, and Luna quickly lost track of how long she had worked. By the time she finished the last desk, her eyes were tired, her back was sore, and her hands were wrinkly from the water. She turned to Professor Snape, still busily working at his desk, and asked, "Is there anything else?"

He looked up and swept his gaze over the room. Appearing satisfied with her work, he replied, "No. You may go."

Luna nodded and started to leave. When she reached the door, she turned around and said, "Professor…"

"Yes, Ms. Lovegood," Professor Snape sighed.

"Um… Did you figure out what happened this afternoon by any chance?"

"It appears that Ms. Jenkins had her flame much too high and added red amber instead of yellow amber. As such, the explosion appears to have been an accident."

"Then why…"

"Why did I still give you a detention?"

"Yes, sir."

"Ms. Lovegood, somehow you knew about the danger in advance and your inaction directly caused serious harm to another student. You then proceeded to lie about how you came by that information. Be glad I let you off with only a detention."

Luna nodded and left the room. The door slammed shut behind her.

* * *

Luna was ambushed by Becca when she returned to the dorm room. "What happened?"

Luna looked around the room. Anne and Olivia were both sitting on their beds, but Chloe's was still conspicuously empty. "What do you mean?"

"Your detention…"

"He had me clean up the room," Luna replied as she drifted back to her bed, dropping her school bag on the floor.

"No. Why did he give you the detention?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does," Becca insisted, taking a deep breath. "Olivia said you pulled her out of the way. You knew about what was about to happen. How?"

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"Luna," Anne cut in, "Talk to us. Please."

"I just don't have anything to say. I had a hunch."

"Do you have anything to add?" Becca asked Olivia.

"Not really. I already said what I saw," Olivia replied. "I really appreciate how you pulled me out of the way, but the entire thing was weird."

"I just had a feeling," Luna insisted.

"I don't believe you. If you just had a hunch, why didn't you tell anyone?" Becca insisted. "We have a right to know."

"No, you don't."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know."

"You did something. Professor Snape knows you did. That's why he gave you a detention. We just need to know why? Why would you hurt Chloe?"

"I didn't."

"Maybe we should wait. We're all exhausted and not in a good frame of mind. You can continue this conversation tomorrow," Anne suggested.

"And give her time to get her story straight," Becca replied. "No way. Tell us your side of the story."

"I don't have one."

"So then what are we supposed to think?"

"I don't care. I had nothing to do with this. If you don't believe me, then screw you. I'm done," Luna said and pulled the curtains around her bed.

"Fine. Be that way." Luna could still hear Becca's voice through the curtain. "Don't tell me you believe her?"

"I don't think Luna would try to hurt anyone," Anne's voice replied. "I think that this is all a big misunderstanding that we are just making worse."

"Chloe is in the hospital Anne. This is more than just a misunderstanding."

* * *

When the girls stopped by the hospital wing the following morning and settled down in the hallway, Madam Pomfrey, realizing they were not planning on leaving, agreed to let them in. However, Chloe's bed remained partitioned off in the corner. Eventually they had to leave for class but made sure to keep someone there at all other times – except for curfew – in case Chloe woke up.

It was the third day after the accident when Olivia came running into the common room shortly after lunch and said, "She's awake!"

All three dropped their books and followed Olivia back to the hospital wing where they finally spotted Chloe sitting up in her bed taking a drink from a tall glass of water. Her left arm was still in a sling, and she had large bandages wrapped around her head and stomach. However, she looked okay, or, at least, like she would be. Luna felt a weight lift off her shoulders. While she had been told repetitively that Chloe would make a full recovery, seeing it with her own eyes was much more reassuring.

Chloe looked up to find the source of the commotion, and her face brightened as she spotted her friends. Becca leaned over to give her a hug, but Madam Pomfrey chose that moment to leave her office and told her off. Instead, Anne and Olivia pulled chairs around the bed, and they all sat down to talk.

Chloe's eyes swept over the group and her gaze landed on Luna. Her eyes narrowed, her face darkened, and she scowled, "What is she doing here?"

"What…" Luna stuttered. She glanced around and all the others looked just as confused.

"Get out," Chloe growled.

"But…"

"Luna," Anne cut her off, "Just go."

Luna was confused and hurt. Stood up and walked to the door. She glanced behind her and saw Chloe glaring at her. She let the door close behind her.

Luna reached up and brushed a stray hair behind her ear. Her mind was spinning. What had just happened? Why did Chloe hate her all of a sudden? She knew that Luna had not caused the explosion. She had been there.

Luna walked down the hall to a window looking out on the castle grounds. The view was quite impressive, but it was not a pleasant day outside. The sky was dark, and a light rain was spraying. A thick mist hovered over the lake and spread into the forest. Any hope Luna had started to fade. Maybe it was her fault. She had known, after all. She tried to help but misread the situation. Maybe there had been time for Professor Snape to stop the accident. If she had reacted differently, everything would be alright.

Maybe her dream caused the explosion.

A door creaked behind her, and Luna turned to see Anne walking up to her. "What's going on?"

Anne sighed. "Chloe thinks you did something to her cauldron to make it explode."

"But I didn't!" Luna protested.

"I believe you," Anne replied, "But Chloe has just woken up, and she blames you. She saw you pull Olivia out of the way. We all did…"

"I told you. I thought you believed me," Luna whispered.

"Really Luna? I know you better than that. There is no way you just had a hunch. You saw something. I just can't figure out what. What really happened? Who are you trying to cover for?"

"I didn't do anything. No one did anything. I told you already. Professor Snape even agreed it was an accident."

"That's not what I asked, and you know it," Anne sighed. "Look. I trust you. Whatever you are not telling us… Well I know you must have a good reason, and I'm okay with that. But Chloe got seriously hurt. Can you really blame her for being upset? Can you blame Becca? What if the roles were reversed and I was the one in the hospital and Chloe did something suspicious right before? You would react the same way."

"She seemed a bit more than just upset," Luna mumbled.

"Just give her some time. I'm sure she knows you wouldn't want to hurt her. It's just… She just needs someone to blame. Try to give her some space. I'm sure she will get over it in a few days."

"I hope you are right," Luna whispered as Anne turned and walked back into the hospital wing.

* * *

_Ginny… are you still there?_

_Yes… I'm here… Sorry. Percy just had a question for me. He wanted to make sure I was adjusting well._

_What did you tell him?_

_I said of course. I even made a new friend._

_Who? You made a new friend without telling me!_

_I meant you, silly. What was it you wanted to tell me?_

_Ah yes… Well if you recall our conversation last week about shield charms, I was struggling to properly describe wand motions. It was difficult for me to correct your motions without seeing it myself, and I had an idea. Would you be able to go up to your dorm room and pull the hangings closed? _

_Sure. Just give me a sec… Okay. I'm in bed. Now what?_

_Let me show you._

Between the pages of the diary, the binding started to glow. First it was just a pinpoint of light, but it grew wider and wider. Suddenly, Ginny was falling down through the pages of the diary. Shapes whipped past in the darkness until she hit the ground. Around her, the world started to coalesce. She was standing in a staircase. It had an almost incomplete feeling, like a picture instead of a real object. She placed her hand on the stone wall. It felt solid enough. Confused, Ginny started to walk down the staircase until she reached a larger room.

The room was round and brightly lit by a roaring fire in the fireplace. In fact, the room looked vaguely like the Gryffindor common room. That table was a bit too wide and the color of the hangings was a bit too dark, but the resemblance was uncanny. Ginny looked around the room until she saw the back of a head sticking up over one of the chairs by the fire. She approached the chair slowly. There was a boy sitting in it with his fingers steepled and eyes closed in concentration. He was wearing Hogwarts robes with a Slytherin house badge and looked to be in his mid to late teens.

Suddenly his eyes opened and met her gaze, brown eyes meeting brown eyes. A broad, satisfied smile crossed his face so it positively glowed. "Hello Ginerva. It is wonderful to finally meet you in person."

"Tom… but how?"

"This was the idea I had," Tom said as he stood up from the chair. "Your body is lying asleep in bed while your mind can visit me, here in my diary. I wanted to construct a place where I could actually see you and we could interact face to face. This way I can help you with your spell work and if you ever need a place to escape to or someone to actually talk to, I could bring you here for a visit."

"Tom…"

"I tried to reconstruct the Gryffindor common room based on your vivid descriptions, but some of the details may be a bit off. I have never been there in person, you see. If you would like me to change the setting, I could try another place instead."

"No… Tom, this is incredible!" Ginny lunged forward and pulled Tom into a tight hug.

"I am glad you like it."

"I love it," Ginny replied. She started to walk around the room, touching the objects. It felt so real. "So, all of this in your head."

"Well, it's a bit more complicated. It is more in a shared space between your mind and my presence in the diary, but I am the one maintaining it."

"I don't know how to thank you."

"If you come and visit me sometimes, that would be all the thanks I need."

"Why are you doing all of this for me Tom?"

"Because you are my friend Ginerva, right?"

"Of course I am Tom, and you are my best friend too."

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed the chapter. As always, feedback is greatly appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5: Collapse

**Chapter 5: Collapse**

Becca and Olivia were much colder toward Luna for the rest of the day. When Chloe was released from the hospital wing the following morning, things only got worse. Becca and Olivia sided with Chloe, and they made it clear that Luna was no longer welcome to sit with them during class or at meals.

Anne tried to hold the room together, but even she realized it was futile after the first week. Instead, she tried to split her time between the two groups. She was able to stop them from bullying Luna directly, but even she was unable to stop the teasing. The other girls, having lived with Luna for a month, provided Liam with even more ammunition for his mocking.

No longer welcome with the other first year Ravenclaws, Luna tried to spend as much time as she could outside of the common room. She started studying in quiet corners in the library and completed her homework in vacant classrooms around the castle. In her free time, she explored the castle both alone and together with Anne.

Without any reason to stay up in the common room, Luna started going to bed immediately after returning to the dorms right before curfew. This let her get up and downstairs for a peaceful breakfast before the others woke up, but there was little she could do to avoid the snubbing during lunch, dinner, and the classes.

It was a few weeks after the now infamous potions class incident, and Luna was down in the Great Hall finishing up her early breakfast. This time, Anne had woken up also to eat with her. There were only a few others in the hall this early on the Sunday morning. There were a few upper year Ravenclaws, a couple of Hufflepuffs, and what looked like the Gryffindor Quidditch team coming back from an early morning practice. The staff table only held Professor McGonagall, who was watching the students sitting at her house table with an amused smile.

"So, what's the plan," Anne asked as she scraped up the last of her scrambled eggs.

"I was thinking we should look for the kitchens," Luna replied. It would be a fun adventure, and they would likely be able to explore some new areas of the castle. If they actually found it, she may even be able to completely avoid the Great Hall for meals.

"Okay," Anne replied, already deep in thought. "How do you know there is a kitchen?"

"Well, food is one of the exceptions of Gamp's Law, so it can't be produced magically through transfiguration. Someone needs to be making it somewhere. I suspect it is probably house elves, but we won't know for sure until we find it."

"Any ideas where to start looking?"

"None."

"Well, it would need to be a fairly large room to store, let alone make all the food the castle goes through on a single day. Can we assume that the room is not magically expanded?"

"Probably," Luna replied as they walked out of the hall, "I mean, expansion charms are known to fail unexpectedly, so it is rather risky to use an expanded room. Then again, if it was constructed using wards it would probably be much more stable…"

"So, we're going to assume it is a physical room," Anne cut her off. "I mean, we need to start somewhere. Right?"

"I can't think of anywhere on the upper levels of the castle where a room that large could be. I mean, I can't see it being in any of the towers, so I guess the best bet is in the dungeons."

"Let's start from here and work our way outward. It may be closer to the hall to minimize the distance the food needs to be transported."

"Well…"

"We have to start somewhere."

"True," Luna replied.

They started their search on the floor below the Great Hall. Anne immediately started inspecting torch brackets lining the walls. Apparently, in muggle stories, torches and books in castles were often used to conceal secrets. The strategy was surprisingly useful, resulting in the discovery of a secret staircase connecting the third and fifth floors and a hidden room on the sixth.

While Luna normally tried to speak to the paintings and statues, this corridor was rather empty. The only decorations were two suits of armor along one side of the wall. Luna tried to speak to them, but she got no response. It was not much of a surprise. Many of the suits of armor were just that, suits of armor. Not all of them could be as talkative as the suit on the 3rd floor that cursed at any student who moved to close to it. A quick inspection of these suits revealed nothing spectacular about them.

Luna was still puzzled. There was something that still nagged her about them. She cocked her head to the side and looked down the corridor. It just looked lopsided. The corridor didn't have much decoration, but why were the two suits standing on the same side of the corridor so close together? Luna approached the wall between them, pushed on some of the stones, and was disappointed to find them completely solid. She tried tapping the wall with her wand to no avail.

Anne tapped her on her shoulder. "Um… Luna. I don't think there is anything in this corridor. We should move on."

"Just give me a second," Luna replied. There had to be something here – this corridor was just too suspiciously empty otherwise – but how could she find it? She turned around to look at Anne, but her eyes caught on the wall behind her. Both the statues' helmets were turned slightly. Could they be facing something instead? Luna walked to the wall and tapped the stone they seemed to be watching with her wand. Behind her there was a grinding sound, and the wall between the two sets of armor swung inward, revealing a slide descending into darkness.

"I guess there was something here after all," Anne whispered, "Where do you think it goes?"

"No idea," Luna replied. She braced herself and sat down on the slide "You want to see?"

"Not really, but that is why we are down here. Right?"

"Exactly," Luna replied with a grin. She took a deep breath and pushed off into the darkness.

The light of the entrance quickly vanished as she rounded bend after bend. The wind whipped by her as she kept accelerating, her hair streaming behind her. The slide ended without warning, and Luna was sent sprawling across the ground.

She looked around, but the room she was in was pitch black. She took her wand from behind her ear and whispered, "Lumos."

The room was small; she could touch both walls just by spreading out her arms. Along the walls were shelves holding what looked like cleaning supplies. A broom cupboard. There was a door a few feet in front of her, and Luna turned around to check if Anne was close, but only saw a stone wall. Shocked, she touched it to find that it felt solid beneath her fingers. It must be a one-way trick wall of some kind. Suddenly, Anne came shooting out of the wall and knocked Luna over. Her wand slipped out of her hand and the light went out.

"Sorry," Anne said as she stood up and offered a hand to help Luna up. "Where are we?"

"Not really sure. A storage closet of some kind," Luna replied, scrambling around on the floor for her wand. "Ready to find out?"

"Yeah."

Luna pushed open the door and daylight flooded in. Shocked, she walked over to the window on the opposite side of the corridor. "We're in one of the towers," She whispered.

"Well that's a useful secret passage," Anne replied. "It looks like we are on the sixth floor at least. Maybe even the seventh. Best guess is we're in the North Tower."

"Might as well ask someone," Luna muttered. She looked around the hall and walked up to the nearest portrait depicting a knight on a little pony. "Excuse me sir, but do you know where we are?"

"This is my private property. I should instead be asking you why you are trespassing?"

"I'm sorry sir knight for trespassing. We are students in the magic school of Hogwarts where your painting currently resides. Sadly, we are lost. Could you provide us with some guidance so we can leave your lands as quickly possible?"

"Well, there is a group of fair ladies that live a minute in that direction. If you continue further, you will eventually reach the residence of the oracle," the painting replied, gesturing to the left side of his frame. "The great marketplace is a short ride in the other direction."

"Thank you, sir knight. We are on a quest to find the school kitchens. Perhaps you know where they are?"

"A quest you say! Please tell me more."

"Well…"

"Thank you, good sir, we will take no more of your time," Anne cut in as she pulled Luna away.

"What was that for?" Luna asked as soon as they were out of earshot. "We could have gotten good information from him. Now we don't know where we are going."

"The corridor is on a slope. If we want to get back to the dungeons, we need to go down. Besides, the painting is a bit barmy. He doesn't realize he is a painting!" Anne exclaimed.

It took them a few minutes to find the staircase and begin their descent back to the entrance hall to resume their search. However, after a couple of hours of searching, they were no closer to finding the kitchens – despite possibly finding the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room.

Anne was ready to give up when Luna found the Fat Friar and decided to convince him to disclose the location of the kitchens. "You see. If apparition is impossible within Hogwarts, as _Hogwarts A History_ claims, then any similar method of transportation should be impossible as well. However, food does appear on the table, meaning it must be either created or brought there somehow. Since we learned in Transfiguration that food can't be created, it must be transported. This puzzle is causing my friend significant mental anguish. Can't you see how much pain she is in." Anne gave a (helpful) groan from her spot on the floor. "How can two of our classes contradict each other?"

"Perhaps she should go to the hospital wing."

"We did that before, but it was only a temporary cure. The headaches returned as soon as the potion wore off. We must instead try to solve the cause of her cognitive dissonance. We must find the kitchens!"

Much to Anne's shock, he revealed that the door was hidden behind a painting of fruit which could be accessed by tickling the pear. The kitchen turned out to in fact be staffed by over a hundred house elves. While Anne accepted a glass of water, Luna started to interrogate them on the exact mechanics of the house tables.

"How on earth did that work," Anne asked as they returned to the common room. The house elves had not only fed them a full meal, but they had insisted on giving them several biscuits which Luna had adamantly refused to accept.

"What? I just told them I didn't want any."

"Not the biscuits. The Friar. How did you know how to get him to tell us where the entrance was?"

"I didn't really know it would work per se, but when people think they know everything about you, it can be useful to play to their assumptions. We are Ravenclaws, so of course it is reasonable that we are troubled by some abstract magical contradiction. That way, they don't question anything too much since it aligns to their expectations."

* * *

Luna and Anne were slowly making their way back up to the common room after breakfast. Ever since their discovery of the kitchens earlier that week, Luna had been taking as many meals as possible outside of the Great Hall. She still ate breakfast early, but this allowed her to avoid Chloe, Liam, and the other Ravenclaws except in classes and at night. Besides, the house elves were much better company than the teasing of her year mates. This morning, Anne had agreed to join her while their roommates slept in after Astronomy but was taking the opportunity to try to convince Luna to stop isolating herself so much.

"You really need to stop hiding at every opportunity."

"Why? It seems to be working," Luna retorted.

"Because running away from problems doesn't solve anything. It just delays everything."

"That's kind of the point."

"Are you really happy with the way things are going?"

"Well, I wouldn't say happy, but I'm adapting."

"Luna," Anne sighed, "As the one stuck in the middle of this argument, you really need to talk to Chloe."

"No. You were the one who said that I should give it time. She hates me now."

They had finally reached the entrance hall, and Anne collapsed onto the staircase, putting her head in her hands.

"What's wrong," Luna asked.

"It's nothing."

"It's obviously not nothing. Besides, you would never let me get away with an answer like that."

"Fine. You want to know what's wrong? I'll tell you. You have no idea how exhausting it is being stuck in the middle of this. I can't believe that I am the only one who sees this is a problem. We all used to get along so well. Don't you want that back?"

"Of course. There's just nothing I can do to fix it," Luna sighed, "I get how you are being pulled in opposite directions by trying to stay friends with both me and Chloe. I would understand if you felt you can't be my friend anymore. It's not fair to expect this of you."

"Oh no you don't," Anne stood up, pushing Luna back, "Don't you dare! You do not get to get rid of me that easily Luna Lovegood. I won't let you push me away like Becca, or Chloe, or Ginny. I am your friend! Don't you dare!"

"Okay. I'm sorry. I was just saying…" Luna trailed off with another glare from Anne.

"Speaking of Ginny, she is right over there," Anne said, pointing across the entrance hall. Ginny had just walked out of the Great Hall and slipped out the main doors.

"Okay…"

"You should go talk to her. I don't know exactly what happened between you, but you said you were close for your entire lives."

Luna nodded. She really did need to try to talk to Ginny again. There was something off about her during their previous conversation in the library. Whatever Luna had done, she needed to talk to Ginny about it. Their friendship meant too much to allow it to simply fall apart. She walked over to the closet where she kept the bundle of chocolate frogs specifically for this occasion. She dropped them into her bag and took a deep breath before following Ginny outside.

The day was overcast and wet, so the grounds were mostly empty, despite being the weekend. Luna scanned the grounds trying to find where Ginny had gone. The lake was empty, and the only ones near the greenhouses were Professor Sprout with what appeared to be some NEWT students. Eventually, Luna spotted Ginny's telltale red hair down near Hagrid's pumpkin patch at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Luna took off jogging down the path, wondering how Ginny had gotten down there so quickly.

Ginny was leaning against a tree when an out of breath Luna caught up. She was waiting for her, but her face was completely inscrutable. "Ginny," Luna took a moment to catch her breath before continuing, "I need to talk to you."

"Why is that?"

"Because you are my best friend, and we have barely spoken since the start of term. I know you're angry at me for some reason. You make that much clear in the library."

Ginny didn't respond. She just stood there, watching her with an odd look in her eye. One Luna had never seen before.

"Can you tell me what I did? Here," Luna continued, pulling a chocolate frog out of her bag, "I brought this as a peace offering. Please, just tell me what I can do?"

Ginny just chuckled. "What makes you think I am angry at you?"

"You've been distant since after the train ride."

"Fine. Since you obviously can't take a hint, I guess I will have to just say it." Ginny paused and met Luna's gaze with hard eyes, "I don't need you anymore."

"What?"

"You heard me. I haven't been avoiding you. I just have no reason to seek you out."

"But… But why?"

"Because I'm at Hogwarts now. I am finding much more appropriate colleagues. I have no more need for you trailing after me like a lost puppy anymore."

"You don't mean that."

"Of course, I do," Ginny said with a cruel smile, "Before, granted, I had nothing better to do with my time, and you were a useful minion. But now? Why do I need to waste my time with a delusional, troubled girl?"

"No. We were friends," Luna cried. Ginny turned to start walking away, but Luna grabbed her shoulder, "Don't walk away from me."

Suddenly, there was a bang, and Luna collapsed to the ground. She looked up to see Ginny standing there with her wand drawn. "Don't you EVER touch me again! In fact, stay away from me."

Luna just sat there in the mud, shocked. "You're not Ginny."

Ginny froze and asked, "What did you say?"

"I said," Luna said, struggling to stand up. "You're not Ginny."

"Of course, I am," not-Ginny replied with a sickly smile.

"No, you're not."

"I am the same girl who you helped carry inside after I fell from the tree and broke my leg. I taught you how to fly on a broom. I am the one you ran to crying after your Mum died," not-Ginny smirked when Luna recoiled as if slapped. "You know, for a Ravenclaw, you really are a fool. I should have dropped you years ago."

With that, not-Ginny walked into the Forbidden Forest and vanished from view.

* * *

A few hours later, Anne found Luna laying on her bed with the curtains pulled around her. "I take it the conversation with Ginny didn't go well."

"No, it went great," Luna scowled, staring up at the canopy over her bed.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. She's not Ginny," Luna replied. "Not anymore."

"What does that mean?"

"I wish I knew." Luna sat up and asked, "Why are you here Anne?"

"Checking up on you isn't enough of a reason?"

"No."

"Mainly to remind you that we have potions in twelve minutes, and Professor Snape probably won't take kindly to us being late."

"Us?"

"Yes, us," Anne replied as she fished around in her trunk for the package of cat food. It was double potions this afternoon, so she needed to feed Pumpernickel before they left. "If I left you alone, you would just stay here and mope all afternoon."

"Why is it always Wednesdays?"

"Huh?"

"This fight with Ginny and before that was the accident in Potions and before that…Why is it always Wednesdays?"

"I don't know. Maybe the day just doesn't like you."

"I suppose."

"It doesn't matter. You are coming with me to class."

Luna groaned.

"Now!"

"Fine. I'm coming," Luna replied as she stood. She picked up her bag from the floor where it was tossed upon her return to the room that morning and followed Anne out of the dorm room. Neither of them noticed the broken chocolate frog box laying on the floor.

* * *

"Well, I feel that lesson went rather well," Anne said.

"That's only because your potion happened to be the exact correct shade of grey," Luna replied.

"Well yes. Are you going to come to dinner in the Great Hall today?"

"Probably. No one spent the lesson glaring at me, so I should probably take that as a good sign. You can go ahead. I want to stop by the dorm to get the paper to read just in case."

"I'll come with you. We're going to be early anyways."

"Why do I think that this is a not so subtle plot to keep me from running off to the kitchens for dinner?"

"Who said it isn't?" Anne replied with a smile.

When they reached the common room, Luna skipped up the stairs while Anne waited. She arrived at the first landing and tried to remember exactly where she left the latest edition of the Quibbler. It probably wasn't in her trunk, and she would not have left it sitting out. Maybe inside the nightstand?

Luna opened the door to their room and froze. Her bag fell from her arms and at least one of her ink bottles shattered. Her mouth fell open, but she couldn't hear anything. Anne appeared behind her, extremely concerned, at least until she looked into the room. There, in the center of the floor, lay Pumpernickel next to a half-eaten chocolate frog.

Anne rushed forward and cradled the kitten with tears streaming down her face. Other girls started appearing in the staircase. Luna felt herself get pushed out of the way as one of the older girls – a prefect – approached Anne. The girl shook her head, and Anne cried harder.

Anne turned to her with the kitten still cradled in her arms and eyes red from crying, and she said something. Luna couldn't hear what she said. She didn't want to hear what she said. She already knew.

Luna felt the walls starting to close in on her. Her legs felt weak. There were too many people filling the staircase. The silence was too loud. She had to get away. She turned and ran. She pushed past the girls clogging the staircase, dashed through the common room, and ran out into the corridor. She didn't know where she was going. She just had to get away.

So, she ran.

* * *

Luna didn't attend the funeral. The rest of the first year Ravenclaws held the small ceremony on the shore of the lake right on the edge of the forbidden forest. They dug a small grave and buried Pumpernickel in a little shoe box. Penelope, the prefect the day before, had cast a spell on it to ensure the kitten was not disturbed by the creatures that roamed the forest. The girls stood there by the little dirt mound and each said a few words in memory of their former dorm mate.

Luna watched the procession from the branch of a tree, high above. She watched as Chloe, Becca, and Olivia left to give Anne some time alone. Eventually, Anne also turned and made her way back to the castle. Luna waited until they all vanished from view before descending from her perch. She stood before the resting place of the kitten and said three words. "I'm so sorry."

After all, what else could she even say?

* * *

_Tom, I think I might be going crazy._

_What do you mean Ginny? What happened?_

_Well, Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat, was attacked tonight during or after the feast. She was petrified somehow._

_So…_

_Tom. I remember going down to the feast, but I only remember the beginning. I don't remember eating anything or leaving. I'm in my room now, and I don't know how I got here!_

_Ginny, you need to calm down. Remember the meditation trick I taught you? Try that. Close your eyes and picture a flame._

_…Okay, I'm a bit calmer, but I really can't remember what happened again. This isn't the first time this year either. Tom, I think I might be losing my mind!_

_I am sure there is a logical explanation for everything. We just need to think. Now. I know you were at the feast for a while because you described some of the puddings for me that were served for dessert. I doubt you had the time or the skills to attack that cat. Besides, it would be incredibly unlike you. The bigger concern is the missing memory. I know stress and anxiety can cause forgetfulness and a bit of memory loss…_

_But Tom…_

_Ginerva, let me finish. I know it may be difficult to worry less because you are worried about the memory loss but worrying is probably only making the situation worse. It could also be a bad reaction to some of the magic in the castle or a stray hex someone hit you with on the way back to the common room._

_Maybe I should go to Madam Pomfrey?_

_Who?_

_The school nurse. She may be able to find out what's wrong with me._

_Ginny, most likely nothing is wrong with you. If there was, one of your brothers or I would have noticed. If she realizes it is caused by stress, which it almost definitely is, then she will tell your parents, and they will pull you out of Hogwarts. Is that what you want? To be homeschooled._

_NO!_

_Then trust me. If I am right, and I always am, then it will get better on its own with time. Meanwhile, you should use me as a resource._

_What do you mean?_

_Write to me. If you tell me what you have done and what your plans are, then if you forget something, I can remind you. It is what a diary is for, after all._

_I'm still worried._

_I know you are, Ginny. People who are upset or angry tend to make irrational and poor decisions. You should trust me when in situations like this. I can help you see things clearly. I only want to help you._

_I know. _

_I am not trying to dismiss your fears. I just think we should monitor the situation for a bit before making any snap decisions._

_No, you're right Tom. I was being impulsive. Thank you._

* * *

**A/N: **For those were Pumpernickel fans, I'm sorry, but I did warn you. In the next chapter, the origin of a nickname.


	6. Chapter 6: Loony Lovegood

**Chapter 6: Loony Lovegood**

Luna returned to the hidden room on the sixth floor that she now called her home, dropped her bag on the floor, and collapsed onto the cot. She was extremely grateful that classes were continuing as normal as the lessons were very welcome distractions. She started to unpack her schoolwork onto her desk. Well, at least it was her desk now. Back when this was actually used as a classroom, it would have been the teacher's place.

When she had woken up here on the morning after Pumpernickel's death, she quickly realized that returning to the Ravenclaw dormitory was not a viable option. Every one of her year mates hated her, and she couldn't blame them. Instead, she figured she may as well just stay in this classroom. After a quick trip to a broom cupboard and about an hour of sweeping and dusting, Luna started to think that her idea may in fact work. With the desks pushed over to the side of the room, she had a fair amount of space, and with the dust cleared out, the room was starting to look pleasant. A quick discussion with a house elf named Koffy while she was in the kitchens for breakfast got her a cot along with assurances that her laundry would be brought to this new location instead of her dorm room. With her new living accommodations in place, Luna set about avoiding her year-mates by spending the least amount of time possible in classrooms and sitting with the other houses when she needed to be there.

Only three days after the Pumpernickel tragedy, the castle was rocked with another cat-related misfortune. Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat, had been attacked in the hallway by someone claiming to be the Heir of Slytherin after the Halloween feast. Luna, in keeping with her avoidance of human contact, had skipped the feast and only found out about the attack by overhearing a conversation between two prefects the following morning.

She immediately rushed back to her room to consult with all five editions of _Hogwarts, A History_ along with a copy of the school charter that she had checked out earlier that week to determine if she could get in trouble for moving out of Ravenclaw Tower. (Apparently, students needed to be either in their own bed or in their house common rooms after curfew. However, in none of the editions was it ever addressed if the student's bed was not located in the dormitory, much to Luna's satisfaction.) All the versions recorded the same myth about Salazar Slytherin's secret chamber but cautioned their readers that no such chamber has ever been found – which was quite obvious for if the chamber had been found then it would no longer be secret.

However, as much as she would like to speculate on the existence of the Chamber of Secrets and the monster – or lack thereof – contained within, Luna had much more pressing things to deal with this afternoon. A major complication to her room change was that most of her belongings remained in Ravenclaw tower. She had been slowly sneaking her belongings out of the dorm and into her new room whenever she knew the dorm would be vacant. This afternoon, the Ravenclaw first years were scheduled to have History of Magic. While her instincts told her to go to class, Luna knew that this would be a great opportunity to finish moving out. The rest of the year would have a similar reaction to missing class, so she was guaranteed to have the room to herself. Besides, it was only History of Magic.

Once she was sure class had started, Luna made her way back to the Ravenclaw tower. After answering a riddle (What can be broken yet never felt or touched? A promise.), Luna made her way to her dorm room.

The room didn't look any different, despite her absence. Olivia still had a small mountain of novels towering on her bedside table. Becca's bed was surrounded by half completed homework assignments and small piles of clothes. Chloe's section of the room was still completely neat. She even had the hangings pulled around her bed, like usual. Luna had a hard time believing everything that had happened this past month.

It didn't matter. She was no longer welcome here. She made her way over to her trunk and unlocked it. A brief glance confirmed that everything remained exactly where she had left it, much to her surprise. She put her bag down and started to make a mental list of what she should bring. There was probably enough time to make a few trips…

The door slammed shut behind her. Luna looked up in time to see a mass of dark hair hurtling toward her. She didn't even have time to draw her wand from behind her ear before she was pulled into a tight embrace. "Where have you been," Anne exclaimed. "I've been so worried!"

Luna could only stand there, frozen, until Anne eventually let her go. "What are you doing here?" Luna asked warily.

"I didn't see you in History of Magic, so I figured I should check here. You have some explaining to do."

"I'm sorry, I have to go," Luna said as she inched her way back to the door. She tried to turn the nob, but found it was stuck. She turned back and saw Anne tucking her wand back into her pocket.

"Luna, please stay. I gave you your space already, but we really need to talk," Anne said, sitting down on her bed. She gestured for Luna to sit down also, but she remained standing by the door.

"What is there to talk about?"

"Why did you disappear? I was so worried something happened to you, especially with this Chamber of Secrets thing. I would have gone straight to a prefect if the house elves in the kitchens hadn't told me you were eating your meals there. Where have you been staying? Why won't you come back to the dorm?"

"You know why."

"No, I really don't."

"You must hate me," Luna sighed.

"Now I'm really confused."

"I killed Pumpernickel."

"Luna," Anne reached out and took her hand. "That was an accident. He choked on a piece of a chocolate frog. It's not like you strangled him."

"I may as well have."

"Don't be an idiot."

"It was my chocolate frog."

"I know, but that doesn't make it less of an accident."

"It wasn't an accident. It was my fault! I knew it would happen!"

Anne froze. "I don't believe that," she whispered.

"It's true. I'm dangerous. You should all stay away from me. I'm a monster."

"Don't be melodramatic. The only monster in this school is the person who attacked Mrs. Norris and then claimed to be Slytherin's heir. Or that Malfoy bloke who threatened the muggleborns. Are you running around attacking cats?"

Luna gave Anne a flat stare.

"I thought not."

"You don't get it. I killed him. It's like you don't even care!"

"Don't you dare! Pumpernickel was my kitten! I raised him! So call me a fool for trying to save this friendship because I don't want to lose two people I care about in the same week from the same stupid accident!" Anne paused a minute to regain her composure. "Fine. If you are so convinced it was your fault, tell me. How? How is this all your fault?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not? You always ask me to take your word on things, even when they don't make sense, and I do. You rarely explain yourself and when you do, it is only so someone else knows the joke. My kitten is dead, Luna. Just this once, tell me. What could possibly be this big of a bloody secret?"

Luna only shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. Some things she couldn't share. Even with Anne. She promised. Her mother made her promise.

"Why won't you just trust me?!"

"Because I can't!" She swore an oath. Not anyone. Not ever.

"Fine then," Anne said in a wavering voice. She reached into her pocket, pulled out her wand, and pointed it at the door. "_Finite."_ She took a deep breath. "If you want to push me away so badly, who am I to stop you?"

"What?" Luna asked, reaching out to grab Anne's hand, "No, wait…"

Anne brushed her off, just like Luna had done minutes ago and whispered, "Goodbye Luna."

Luna starred as Anne walked away, and for the first time, she was completely alone.

* * *

Somehow, Luna found herself actually looking forward to the first Quidditch game of the season. The Weasleys had always been obsessed with the sport. She had seen the boys play dozens of times, and she was excited to go to her first real match. Gryffindor playing Slytherin – the houses with the biggest rivalry in the Hogwarts – promised to be exciting. Well, at least as exciting as any Quidditch match she ever expected to see. Not that she knew. But… the anticipation seemed to finally overshadow the Heir of Slytherin's threat.

The match wasn't set to start until eleven, so Luna spent most of the morning in the Forbidden Forrest. She had heard from one of the older years that the school kept a herd of Thestrals somewhere in the forest that they used to pull the carriages, but after an hour of searching, she was not able to find any. She did find a suspiciously unoccupied clearing, but she did not have enough time to search it if she wanted to make it back in time for the match. They probably were all staying sheltered. The day was pretty wet and muggy, and they were winged horses. They were probably sheltered in their thicket. Or maybe they had nests, since they were part bird. Either way, she hoped she would have better luck when the weather cleared later in the day.

Luna got there right as the match started and sat near a group of third year Hufflepuffs. Looking around the stadium, it seemed like the entire school had turned out for the match. Students seemed to sit clustered by houses. The Gryffindor and Slytherin sections were particularly rowdy. The two teams made their way onto the field, glaring at each other. Most of the stands – even many Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws – hissed when the Slytherin team lined up. Really people? It's just a sport.

Madam Hooch, the flying instructor, launched the balls into the air, and the game began. Luna quickly found herself disappointed. She just was not as invested in the other students. Maybe she would care more if she actually was friends with any of the players, but the only ones she knew were Fred and George. And technically Harry Potter, but she still had not actually met him… That's weird. It looks like one of the bludgers was trailing Harry. Fred and George were circling him, trying to protect him but leaving the rest of the team exposed to the Slytherin beaters. What an odd strategy.

Luna felt a pair of eyes on her. She glanced around and finally spotted the source. Chloe was sitting a few rows behind her with the rest of the first year Ravenclaws. Luna felt a small pang as she saw Anne giggle in response to something Olivia whispered – probably yelled would be more accurate, given how loud the stands were. Then again, she shouldn't be feeling anything. After all, they were not friends anymore. Chloe's eyes hardened when she made eye contact with Luna. She tapped Liam's shoulder and pointed down to where Luna was sitting, surrounded by Hufflepuffs. Liam said something, and they all started laughing. Luna looked away. It is probably better not knowing.

The game had progressed a lot in the few minutes. First of all, it had started to rain, which made visibility even worse. Seriously, someone should rethink the way these spectator sports worked. It was really hard to see. It seemed like Fred and George were no longer circling Harry Potter, and Gryffindor was starting to catch up from Slytherins early sixty-point lead. The bludger still seemed to be tailing the seeker. Actually, it looked like it had been set with a homing charm. Luna supposed it made sense for one bludger to target the chasers and another to target the seekers. She would need to ask Ginny after the match. Well, not Ginny, not anymore. Maybe the Ravenclaw seeker. Cho Chang or something like that.

Now that she was watching Harry Potter, his flying was really quite impressive. He definitely had a lot of talent. He charged across the field, spiraling to dodge the incoming bludger. He seemed to be heading straight to the Slytherin seeker… and he caught the snitch and won the game with the extra one hundred and fifty points. Luna shook her head. She really did not understand Quidditch. Not that she was upset to have come. It was an experience, but now it was time to try to find the Thestrals. Maybe they would like if she got them a treat. Horses like apples. Luna slipped out of the stands and made her way back to the castle.

* * *

After a quick trip to the kitchen for lunch – peanut butter and banana sandwiches, courtesy of some very confused house elves – Luna hiked back down to the Forbidden Forest with her bag bulging with apples. She asked for a few and the house elves had insisted on providing her with a couple dozen. She also had a little bag with some dried corn and another with some crickets she 'borrowed' from Potions. Thestrals may like bird food, after all.

The sky had finally started to clear, and, despite the ground being muddy, Luna felt hopeful as she started to walk through the forest. She always found the forest calming, perhaps because it reminded her of the camping trips she used to take with her parents. Then again, those trips were always very eventful… More likely, she just enjoyed the freedom and isolation the woods provided. She felt connected here. The way a breeze blew through a tree, drizzling the ground in droplets of water. The air sweet yet moist from the rain earlier. The birds singing in the trees above her. The sun breaking through the gaps in the leaves, casting beams of light down upon the forest floor.

A twig snapped behind her, and Luna froze. Her wand was in her hand as she slowly turned around. It was the Forbidden Forest, after all. There were some dangerous creatures here. She had heard there was an Acromantula colony and even she was not willing to risk an encounter with them, and the centaurs were not to be trifled with. Also, she could not afford to get caught by a teacher, although if it was a teacher, her wand would not help at all. However, as she looked around, she found nothing was there. It was probably a squirrel. Seriously, why was she so jumpy? A squirrel jumped out from behind a tree, and Luna shook her head.

It took a few more minutes to reach the clearing and she froze. Standing in the clearing as a tall majestic horse. It was skeletal with its wide wings folded against its back. It looked young, not much taller than she was. Based on her reading, it had a few more hands to grow before reaching full height. Its skin was a deep black, standing out sharply against the green field illuminated by the sun which had finally come out. Luna felt a smile break out on her face. She found one!

She took a deep breath and then another. She needed to make sure the Thestral did not notice her excitement. It would bolt if startled. She needed to exude an aura of tranquility. She slowly made her way into the clearing.

The Thestral immediately turned to her and snapped. Luna stared into its eyes, the deep blue of the night sky. The near blackness of infinity. Midnight. She slowly placed her hand in the bag and withdrew an apple. With her arm extended, she stepped towards the Thestral. It cocked its head to the side, puzzled by the bright red fruit and the golden-haired girl. Luna could not help but smile as it moved forward to meet her. It sniffed the apple and took a hesitant bite. The apple juice dribbled down Luna's hand. It took a second bite, and Luna reached up and gently stroked its head.

It glanced up.

There was a flash of bright white light. The Thestral bolted. Luna, startled by the sudden motion, stepped backwards, tripped on a root, and fell into the mud. Her bag of apples scattered on the ground.

Laughter. That was what she could hear. She looked up and saw them standing there at the edge of the clearing. Chloe was holding a camera – probably borrowed from Colin Creevey – with a victorious smile on her face. Liam was with her, laughing his head off. She thought she could make out Evan further back in the trees with Colin Creevey.

Liam turned to her and said with a voice full of mirth, "I can't believe it. She's actually crazy! I can't believe your hunch was right. This has to be the best day ever."

"Come on," Chloe replied, "Let's leave the nut be. We have what we came for."

The group vanished into the forest.

When she was sure they were gone, Luna pulled her knees up to her chest and cried.

She heard a clopping sound coming from the opposite side of the forest. She looked up and saw the Thestral emerge from the dark forest. It moved forward slowly, and as it approached her, it dropped its head. It went over to the half-eaten apple laying on the ground where Luna dropped it and consumed it in two bites.

The Thestral moved over to her and tapped her head with its bead. It then tapped her shoulder. Taking the hint, Luna stood up and looked into the Thestral's eyes. She knew that it was the same one as before. The Thestral reached down and clipped her hand with its bead, so she reached up and started to stroke its beak then neck. Luna looked into its eyes one more time and said softly, "I think I should give you a name. Is that alright boy? What do you think about Midnight?"

Midnight purred in response.

"Midnight it is, then," Luna replied. She stood there stroking the beautiful creature for a few minutes before he stretched out his neck and flexed his wings. Luna backed up, and Midnight rose onto his hind legs, spread his magnificent wings, and let out a loud screech that echoed across the clearing.

Startled, Luna started to back up, but Midnight let out a soft purr and reached forward to grip her hand. Luna nodded and tapped his head. He wanted her to stay. Suddenly, dozens of Thestrals walked out of the forest completely surrounding her. Luna tensed, but Midnight brushed her head with his beak, silently telling her that it was alright. Midnight reached down, gripped one of the scattered apples in its mouth, and tossed it to the tallest of the Thestrals, likely the leader of the herd. The leader caught the apple in its mouth, placed in on the ground, and took a bite. It let out a deeper, yet softer screech. All around her, the other Thestrals started eating the scattered apples.

Midnight turned to her, tapped her head again, and let out a soft screech. Luna wrapped him in a tight hug with a wide smile on her face.

* * *

Chloe went with Colin and a fifth year Gryffindor to a classroom that was serving Colin's dark room. It took a half hour to develop the pictures in a series of special potions, but soon Colin was handing her the completed photo. "Here is the picture you took. Don't ask to borrow my camera again."

Chloe watched the photograph play out and said with a smile, "I don't think I will need to for a little while."

She asked the fifth year to make three copies of the photo. She then pulled out her quill and wrote on the back of each one. She looked down at the scar on her right hand, a permanent reminder of Lovegood's betrayal. This was the right decision. She handed Colin one of the copies with instructions to bring it to the Gryffindor common room. He would do it. He was scared of her.

Chloe arrived at dinner a bit late. A quick glance confirmed Lovegood was not going to appear tonight. She usually didn't. Chloe handed a photo to her acquaintances in Slytherin and Hufflepuff with instructions to pass around among the other first years.

When she returned to the Ravenclaw common room, she found Becca, Evan and the others waiting for her around the fire. Liam looked up and asked, "Do you have it?"

Chloe raised the photograph with a satisfied smile and handed it to him. Captured forever in the photo, Luna stood there petting something no one else could see before turning and falling into the mud. She then stood back up and started petting the thin air again, on an eternal loop. Liam, Evan, Becca and the others laughed at the parody.

"Turn it over," Chloe instructed.

Liam looked at the back of the photo, "Loony Lovegood. That's brilliant!"

* * *

Max watched his year mates laughing and shook his head before turning back to the book. He wanted nothing to do with it. It was important to pick battles one could actually win.

* * *

Anne took one look at the photo and rushed up the dorm room and pulled the curtains around her bed. How could they do that? What had Luna ever done to them? Well Anne knew full well Chloe and Becca hated her for the cauldron explosion, but was humiliating her the solution? She thought they knew better. She thought they were better.

She put her head in her arms and sighed. Luna had made her position very clear. She did not want Anne's help anymore. So be it.

But that didn't make it hurt Anne any less.

* * *

The photo quickly circulated to the other house common rooms. Colin brought it to the Gryffindor common room shortly before curfew. Ginny was sitting in the corner, working on a Transfiguration assignment for tomorrow morning. She walked over to the rest of the year, clustered around the picture, watching it on loop. Ginny's jaw dropped in horror.

She snatched the photo from Colin's hands and scolded, "What is wrong with you?"

"It's funny," He replied in a nervous voice.

"No. It's cruel. Did you take this?"

"I just lent them my camera."

"Who?"

"Liam, Jenkins, and some others."

"Wait here. I'll be back in a minute, and we're going to see Professor McGonagall," Ginny said before walking up the staircase, photo crushed in her hand.

Ginny felt furious. It was a miracle she avoided hexing Colin. Granted, she had not seen Luna much during the year. Luna never showed up for their scheduled meeting in the library, and Tom suggested that Luna probably made new friends in Ravenclaw. Well, Ginny still considered her a friend, and NO ONE hurt her friends.

Ginny pulled out the diary and wrote, _Tom, something bad has happened._

_What is it?_

_Colin took this mean picture of Luna. I took it away, but they were all laughing at her. I'm going to take him to Professor McGonagall._

_Don't Ginny. Think about this._

_What is there to think about? They're bullying her._

_She isn't your friend. She made new friends in Ravenclaw. They'll take care of her._

_You don't get it Tom. Those so-called friends are the ones who took the photo! I don't care what you think. I still consider Luna my friend. I won't let them hurt her._

Tom quickly reached out and seized control of Ginny. He felt her push back, but he quickly shoved her deep into her mind. He could not allow Ginny to reconcile with Luna. A close friend was the only one who would spot the possession. Luckily, despite coming from a large family, Ginny's brothers considered her beneath their notice. Luna was sorted into Ravenclaw, and it was easy enough to keep Ginny away from her. Luna turned out a bit harder to dissuade, but he finally accomplished it. He could not let Ginny risk it all.

Tom searched Ginny's recent memories and tore through her pitiful defenses. He erased the memories of the photograph and replaced it with one of her falling asleep while writing the Transfiguration essay. The photograph itself, now forgotten, fell underneath the bed where it would remain undetected for months.

Now to tie up loose ends. What should he do about Colin? Actually, that was easy enough. Colin was a mudblood, and it was about time for his first victim. Ginny mentioned Potter was in the hospital wing from a Quidditch injury. Colin would be the type to go sneak out to visit him. A quick search of Ginny's bag turned up a bunch of grapes. The perfect excuse.

"I changed my mind," Tom said when he walked back into the common room. "I'm not going to tell the professors, but I am not giving back the photo. You Colin, will take me to see whoever actually took the picture. Maybe you could stop by Harry on the way back to the common room and check up on him as well."

No loose ends.

* * *

**A/N**: With this chapter, I am also posting updates to the earlier chapters (namely chapters 2 to 5) to include short scenes with Ginny and Tom. I hope you enjoy!


	7. Chapter 7: Impact

**Chapter 7: Impact**

It was early morning, and Luna was wandering the halls on her way back from the kitchens for breakfast, planning a schedule for the day. She heard a voice call out, "Hey, Loony!"

Not recognizing the name or the voice, Luna kept walking. She saw a bright red flash reflected off one of the walls and felt a sharp pain on her right arm as if stung. Shocked, she clutched her arm and turned around, trying to understand what happened. She spotted a shadow before a sickly yellow flash filled the hallway, and Luna collapsed onto the floor, crying out in pain. There was a shout of laughter followed by running footsteps that slowly faded away.

The hallway was silent. Luna slowly pushed herself up and felt her face with her good hand. It was covered in painful bumps. She took a deep breath and started to shuffle towards the hospital wing. There was a hidden staircase behind the tapestry two corridors down which would take her up to the floor above the hospital wing and allow her to bypass the grand staircase.

The early hour meant there were few students in the hallways – aside for the jerk she already ran into – and she didn't see anyone on her journey to the hospital wing. She knocked on the door and Madam Pomfrey let her in. She took one look at her face and asked, "Have you been fighting?"

Luna shook her head.

The matron must have felt sorry for her, because she hustled her in and asked her to sit on one of the beds. "What caused the boils?"

"It was a hex or a curse of some kind. I don't know which," Luna replied.

Madam Pomfrey nodded, "Wait here. I'll be back in a minute. Don't pop any of them while you are waiting. It will only make them worse."

She walked out into her office, and Luna could hear her searching. She glanced around the hospital wing and saw she was not alone. Harry Potter was asleep on one of the beds further down, probably recovering from whatever injury he had from the Quidditch match yesterday. Luna felt sorry for him. He must have been hurt much worse by the bludger than she thought. It would have needed to be serious for him to be kept overnight. She hoped he would be okay.

There was another bed, surrounded by curtains. Curious, Luna walked over and called out, "Hello, is anyone there?"

Hearing no response, she pulled back the curtains and recoiled in shock. The last time she had seen Colin Creevey, he was hiding among the trees, laughing at her after helping scare away the Thestral. Now he lay before her, stiff. His skin was devoid of all its usual color. It had an almost grey pallor. Lifeless.

There were footsteps and a pair of hands pulled the curtains close. Madam Pomfrey scolded her and pushed her back to the bed. Luna sat down and felt her rub something on her face. She blinked a couple times to clear her head and asked, "What happened to him?"

"He was petrified," Madam Pomfrey replied tersely.

"What? Like Mrs. Norris? Will he be okay?"

"Yes. He'll be fine. Now will you sit still and let me finish."

Luna remained perfectly still while the matron applied some cream from a small jar that she must have retrieved from the office earlier. When she was done, she asked, "Are there boils in any other places?"

"No." The pain in her right arm had already faded.

"Wait here for a few minutes. The swelling is already going down. I'll be back soon to check on your progress. It goes without saying, but please leave the other patients alone."

Luna lay back on her bed and let her mind drift. Why had someone hexed her? What had she done to make anyone want to hurt her? Why was Colin Creevey petrified? Luna thought he was a muggle-born. Did that mean the Heir of Slytherin was attacking students now? Would there be more attacks?

* * *

The following six weeks before term ended for Christmas were Luna's worst in the castle. The name Loony Lovegood became so widespread that Luna wondered if anyone remembered her real name. The first few times, she tried to correct people, but soon even students she had never met before were calling her Loony. Sometimes it wasn't even malicious.

The atmosphere in the castle became increasingly tense following the attack on Colin Creevey, and hexing Luna in the hallway was one of the preferred releases for the pressure. She quickly got used to the stinging hexes and tripping jinxes and started taking secret passageways everywhere just to avoid other students. After the dueling club – which Luna chose not to attend for obvious reasons – she also became target practice for disarming spells. Initially the prefects took off points if someone from another house attacked her, but they soon stopped being so vigilant. Luna understood. There were more important things to worry about.

She was relieved when winter break finally came, and Luna found herself sitting blessedly alone on the Hogwarts Express on her way back home. When she spotted her father standing on the platform, Luna felt the happiest she had felt in months. Her father was unaware of her recent troubles in school and wanted to hear all about her experiences in the wondrous magic schools, despite their weekly letters. Luna shared all about her lessons and explorations of the castle. Her father turned out to be a great source of information on the Chamber of Secrets and found some articles from fifty years ago when the Chamber was last opened, and a girl named Myrtle Warren was killed. There was a ministry investigation (or cover up, depending on the source). Rubeus Hagrid was expelled as a scapegoat, but the true culprit was never identified.

Christmas was nice, but melancholy as it had been every year since her mother died. It went by too quickly and Luna found herself standing on platform nine and three quarters preparing to spend another five months with her tormentors. She hugged her father and assured him she would look for the Bowtruckle colony behind the pumpkin patch. She luckily found another empty compartment – or perhaps no one wanted to sit with her – and found herself on the way back to the castle.

* * *

With no more attacks, the castle relaxed after Christmas break, and Luna settled into her new normal. She attended classes, explored the castle and grounds, and kept her head down in the corridor, trying to ignore the hexes and jeers.

While her social life left much to be desired, Luna was quite satisfied academically. She was doing well in all of her classes, with the exception of a slightly tense relationship with Professor Snape who seemed to never get over his suspicion of her after the incident earlier in the year. Defense Against the Dark Arts and History of Magic were both jokes, and, while she initially struggled a bit in Transfiguration, she was doing fine there as well. Charms was her favorite class by far.

"Today we will be continuing our discussion of mending charms," Professor Flitwick said, calling the class to order from the top of his desk. "Can someone share with me limitation of mending charms?"

"Some magical objects can't be repaired," Chloe called out.

"Very good. Anyone else? Yes, Mr. Richards."

"Incomplete objects."

"Exactly. The spell can only be used when two requirements are fulfilled. First, all of the broken parts are present. Second, the caster knows what the object is supposed to look like. But, if both are true, any object can be repaired, no matter how often it is broken or how completely it is shattered. Let's test these theories shall we," Professor Flitwick said with an amused gleam in his eye. With a wave of his wand, a pair of wooden blocks and a small pile of glass shards floated in front of each student. "We covered severing charms last week, so I expect all of you can still cast them. Please split each block in two and repair them. Also try to repair two halves of different blocks together and observe the result."

Luna looked down at the two blocks in front of her. She muttered, "_Diffindo, Diffingo_," and the pair of blocks were split into perfect halves. She envisioned the block reforming and muttered "_Repario"_ and one of the blocks fused back together. Luna split it in half again and tried to match the halves from opposite blocks together and they refused to repair as expected.

Luna looked around the classroom. Many of the students were struggling to split their blocks, and some were already working on repairing them. She still had a bit of time to experiment. She looked at the four halves and pictured in her mind the blocks rearranging, so the matching parts went together. She cast the incantation, and felt a smile break out on her face as each piece floated into the air to match with their original partner.

Perhaps the reason she loved charms so much was she was really good at it.

She looked down at the two blocks in front of her and split them each into eight equal sized cubes. She mixed them together until she no longer remembered which part was from which block. She tried to cast the charm again, but this time, the blocks remained stubbornly in place.

Frustrated, she tried to picture how the blocks should move to form the final cube but wasn't able to. It was the same reason she always had trouble with Transfiguration. She knew what she wanted the final object to look like, but she couldn't picture the exact path to reach it. However, this was not Transfiguration. Professor Flitwick and the textbook were both clear that she just needed to know what the final object must look like. Luna closed her eyes shut and pictured the pair of blocks in her mind, splitting into eights and reforming, over and over. With her eyes still closed, she muttered, _"Repario_."

Luna felt a gentle warmth in her wand, and she knew that the spell worked. She opened her eyes and there lay the two perfect cubes of wood, completely reformed.

Professor Flitwick stopped in front of her desk and quietly said, "Well done, Ms. Lovegood." He then turned to help one of the Gryffindors nearby. Luna beamed and she thought she even felt her wand vibrate slightly, like it was proud of their work as well. Satisfied with the two wooden blocks, Luna turned her focus to the shards of glass. She sifted through them, but quickly concluded whatever it used to be, it was broken beyond all recognition. She looked up to get Professor Flitwick's attention to ask about the pile, but he was helping Evan on the other side of the classroom. He was sitting near Chloe and Liam, and Luna did not want to risk bringing their attention down on her.

Luna tried several times to cast the spell, but nothing happened. She supposed that she actually needed to know what the object looked like initially. A glance at the clock on the wall showed she still had another twelve minutes to experiment. The pile lay in front of her, mockingly.

She spent a few minutes trying to guess what the shape was supposed to be, but none of them worked. She spent the remaining time trying to piece the object together, but it was broken too thoroughly.

Professor Flitwick called the class back to order, "Well done everyone. Almost all of you succeeded in breaking and repairing your blocks. Your assignment for next week is to practice both the severing and repairing charms. I also expect a short essay on the limitations of the mending charm. Half a roll of parchment will be plenty. Please, be creative. Class dismissed."

All around her, the students put their wands away, grabbed their bags, and started filing out of the room. Luna remained seated as the classroom emptied. She had quickly learned which classes she needed to leave early and which she was safe to wait in. Much to her satisfaction, Professor Flitwick – like Professors McGonagall – tended to remain behind after class, making it safe to remain behind to ask questions. When most of the class had left, Luna walked up to Professor Flitwick's desk and said, "Professor…"

"Yes, Ms. Lovegood?"

"I was wondering what the glass was for."

"It was for the few of you who I knew would finish with the blocks with time left. It was a bit of a puzzle. What do you think?"

"I think it was supposed to prove we needed to know what we were repairing was supposed to look like."

"Correct. Have you been able to guess what it used to be?"

"No," Luna replied a bit frustrated. "If I had, I would have repaired it."

"Then let me give you a hint. It was a dog."

Luna looked down at the shards and closed her eyes. She pictured a glass dog, but something felt off about it. Mentally, she gave it a slightly longer tail, shorter ears. It felt a bit closer. Maybe different positions? She moved the dog around until it was laying on its stomach with its front two paws stretched out. Somehow it felt right, and she said, "_Repario_."

She opened her eyes and a small glass dog lay in the palm of her hand, exactly as she envisioned it. Before her, Professor Flitwick was beaming. "Bravo. Ms. Lovegood. Bravo! Twenty points to Ravenclaw for that excellent work!"

"I can't believe that worked. Is it alright if I keep this?"

"Of course."

Luna packed up her bag – specially reinforced with some thin metal cords in the base after the second time someone cast a cutting curse on it in as many weeks – at the end of Charms, bid farewell to the professor, and slipped out into the hallway, when she heard a voice call out from behind her, waiting to ambush her. Normally, she would have ignored it, but the voice had used her real name.

She paused and quickly glanced around to see Ginny trying to weave her way through the crowd. Ginny raised her hand and called out, "Luna. Wait."

Luna kept walking. There was a hidden staircase nearby that would take her up to the seventh floor. It had a few trick steps. She picked up her pace.

Something touched her arm. She tried to shake the hand off, but it had a firm grip. Ginny had caught up to her. "I need to talk to you."

Luna looked at Ginny. She wasn't looking well. She was pale and there were bags around her eyes. "Let me go."

Ginny obliged and Luna took off down the corridor. Ginny cursed behind her and chased after her, "Luna, Stop!"

Luna heard Ginny whisper a tripping jinx. She stepped to the side, and the spell hit the floor next to her. She rounded on Ginny, wand drawn. "Leave me alone, or I will hex you. I know some really good ones now."

Ginny held her arms out, "We haven't spoken in months. There are a lot of things I need to tell you. Can we just go somewhere private?"

"Not a chance. I may be a troubled, delusional girl, but I am NOT stupid," Luna replied. She cast a sticking charm on Ginny's shoes and ran. She was almost at the passageway.

Ginny cursed again. Luna turned when she reached the entrance and saw Ginny chasing after her, shoes left behind on the floor. She climbed the staircase, careful to avoid the second step. A few seconds later, she heard a crash behind her. The trick step worked. Ginny called once more, "Luna. Please wait!"

Luna took a slide from the seventh floor down to the basement before slowly making her way back to her hidden room, confident that she had lost her pursuer.

* * *

Luna's birthday came a few days later. It fell out on Saturday this year, so she was able to spend it in peace without interactions with any of her tormentors. She received a card from her father along with her birthday present – a new sketchbook with two dozen different colored chalks. Luna immediately made her way to the Thestral heard in the Forbidden Forest where she spent a pleasant morning sitting with the herd, sketching.

What Luna found truly fascinating was how unique each Thestral really was. Midnight, for example, was a bit of an albino with his dark blue eyes. Most of the other Thestrals had the same pale white eyes. Nyx, a shorter creature with solid black coloring, seemed to be the oldest of the herd yet was absolutely silent, seeming to materialize out of thin air. Pax, the herd's leader, was at least a hand taller than any of the other Thesrals and was too aloof to interact with her when she came to visit but tolerated her as long as she brought them treats.

After completing a couple sketches, Luna spent an hour playing with Spot and Dot, a very energetic pair of Thestral foals (named for bright white patches behind their ear and on their snout respectively). She then bid farewell to the herd and returned to Castle for a late lunch. The rest of the day was reserved for completing homework assignments and researching invisibility charms (which turned out to be much too complicated for a first year) and the much more accessible silencing charms. The confrontation with Ginny earlier that week had shaken her a bit. She needed a slightly more reliable method of vanishing. Eventually, Luna returned to her room and fell asleep while reading _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_.

_She was walking down a corridor. It was familiar. One of the paintings was frantically trying to get her attention, but she ignored it. It was a bit barmy after all. She had an appointment she needed to keep. The corridor had a slight upward slope, and it soon narrowed into a spiral staircase. She climbed until reaching the landing on top. There was a trap door set in the roof. A class met there. There was no way up, so she turned and started making her way back down the staircase. This time, there was a door set in the wall a third of the way down. She knocked on the door, and it swung open to reveal a small sitting room. Inside, a witch was sitting at a small table with two teacups. She moved to the unoccupied chair and accepted the cup of tea. _

Luna bolted up in bed. She pulled her dream journal out from a nearby desk and started recording. When she was done, she skimmed the entry again, confused. What was the point of a dream where nothing happened?

* * *

_I am so so so so so so so so …_

_What?_

_… so so so so so so so…_

_Stop it._

_… so so so sorry. _

_Ginerva. Is this you again?_

_Yeah. I took the diary back from Harry._

_Ginny, did you try to flush my diary down a toilet?_

_Yeah…_

_What made you think that would be a good idea?_

_I thought there was a curse on your diary. _

_Ginerva, we discussed this already._

_I know, but it would explain everything. If someone left a curse on your diary, sort of like a parasite, that then attached to me and made me attack people, it would explain why I never remembered where I was._

_We discussed this. I would know if there was some other magic that strong in the diary. I would be able to sense it. Further, I know you could not have attacked that cat because you described deserts to me from the meal while the cat was being attacked. I do not know where you were when Colin was attacked, but when the ghost and the other boy were petrified, you were with me in the diary practicing disarming spells. I realize you might not remember it, but this theory of yours that you are attacking the other students is a bit absurd. I know you are worried and looking for a big explanation for all of these memory gaps you have had, but the truth is rarely as fantastic as you think it will be. Your memory loss is probably a simple matter of too much stress. Your trouble sleeping and headaches are also consistent with that, and the more you worry about it, the worse it becomes. You need to trust me Ginny. Let me remember for you._

_I know that makes a lot of sense, but I only had these problems after getting the diary…_

_Which is also when you came to a completely new and difficult environment._

_I realize, but I was so afraid and worried and for a moment it all seemed so clear._

_You should have talked to me._

_I know and I'm sorry. I just thought if I could get rid of the diary then the headaches and forgetting would go away._

_Ginny, you realize I am in this diary, right? You tried to murder me!_

_I didn't mean it like that Tom! When I had more time to think I went back to look, but the diary was already gone. Harry had found it. Once I realized he had it, I tried to get it back. Can you please forgive me?_

_I will try, but it is difficult when you do things like this. I understand that you were worried, but putting me in danger like that… I thought we were friends._

_You are my best friend, Tom. Don't you EVER doubt that!_

_I really want to believe you Ginny, but how do I know I can still trust you?_

_Tom, I promise I will NEVER do anything like that to you again. _

_…_

_Tom…_

_Yes, Ginerva?_

_Did you tell Harry any of the things I told you?_

_Of course not. I keep my friend's secrets._

_I am so sorry Tom. You have never been anything but kind to me, even when I don't deserve it. I swear that I will find a way to make it up to you._

* * *

Penelope Clearwater and Hermione Granger were attacked on Saturday morning, and the school went on lockdown. It took over an hour to get all the students into their common rooms. When Professor Flitwick arrived in Ravenclaw, there were still two students missing: Penelope Clearwater – for obvious reasons – and Luna Lovegood. Panic ensued in the Ravenclaw common room. Professor Flitwick left the prefects to keep order and quickly began a search of the castle. It would take hours to find the missing student.

Of course, Luna herself was oblivious to the trouble she caused. At least, until Professor Dumbledore appeared in the doorway of her room and said, "Good afternoon Ms. Lovegood. Would you be willing to tell me why you are here?"

"Sir?"

"All students were required to report to their house common rooms almost four hours ago."

"I didn't know."

"Come. Let us go inform Professor Flitwick that his missing student has been found," the headmaster said with a soft smile. Luna looked around her belongings scattered around the room. Professor Dumbledore, anticipating her question, said, "You can return later to collect your possessions."

Luna nodded and followed him out into the hallway.

"I take it that you have been living in this classroom," Professor Dumbledore said. "If you would pardon my curiosity, how long have you been staying outside your dorm room?"

"Since the end of October," Luna replied. "Please don't expel me. I looked it up in the school rules and there is nothing forbidding students from moving to a new residence in the castle. If I consider this my room, then I never even violated curfew…"

"I'm not going to expel you, Ms. Lovegood. Although I would greatly appreciate having a conversation with you later about your interpretation of the school charter, particularly article seven. But sadly, that is a conversation for another day. Today, I am happy that you are unharmed."

"Sir?"

"There have been another two attacks. Ms. Hermione Granger and Ms. Penelope Clearwater were both petrified."

"Oh no."

The headmaster tapped her on the shoulder comfortingly. "They will be alright. The mandrakes will be ready soon, and in the meantime, we will be taking additional security precautions. However, I would like to return to our earlier topic of conversation. Would you be willing to tell me why you felt it necessary to move out of your dorm room?"

Luna paused. She did not want to talk about her dreams, the accident with Chloe, Pumpernickel's death, or any of the subsequent bullying. Mentioning the dreams was not a possibility and getting the bullies in trouble would just make it all worse. "I guess I just needed some space."

Professor Dumbledore nodded, "Living with others is always a challenge. Arguments are so often compounded by spending so much time in such close quarters. I have always found that honesty and a little time are the best solutions. True friends can be incredibly understanding and are too precious to waste."

"I'll keep that in mind, sir."

"Is there anything else you wish to tell me, Ms. Lovegood?"

"Not really."

"In that case, I want to let you know that my door is always open if you would like to talk," the headmaster said. They rounded a corner, and he opened the door to what appeared to be Professor Flitwick's office. "Ah. Filius. I have found your misplaced student. If you will pardon me, I need to go brief some visitors on the recent developments. Filius. Ms. Lovegood." Professor Dumbledore nodded his head before walking away.

"Ms. Lovegood, I spoke with your roommates and was surprised to find you haven't been to the dorm room since before the winter holidays. Where have you been staying?"

"In an abandoned classroom."

"For over five months?"

"Yes, sir. I was able to make it rather cozy. I had some help from the house elves."

"I don't doubt that. But if you were having trouble with your roommates, why didn't you come and talk to me?"

"I thought it was best if I just left."

Professor Flitwick shook his head in disappointment. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"There really is nothing to tell, sir. We just don't get along too well."

"I can't let you stay in the classroom, especially with the recent attacks," Professor Flitwick held up his hand, cutting off Luna's objection. "I realize you are a pureblood, Ms. Lovegood, and the attacks seem be motivated by blood purity. However, I am not comfortable trusting that assumption. Are you?"

"Not really, sir. Does this mean that I need to move back into Ravenclaw tower?"

"Yes. Will that be a problem? Please be honest with me Ms. Lovegood. If you have any concerns whatsoever, I can move you to another year's dorm room in Ravenclaw or even to a dorm room in a different house with some of your other friends."

Luna hesitated. Moving to another house wouldn't be a good option. By now, they all thought she was loony. Gryffindor might have been an option, but not with Ginny hating her. Moving to an older year's room would make it seem like she was hiding, like a coward. It would only give the others permission to torment her more. There was really only one option. "Thank you for the offer, but I think I will be okay moving back into the dorm room."

"Your fellow year mates said they were alright with you moving back in as well. If there are any problems, please come and tell me or even a prefect. We are here to help you, Ms. Lovegood, but we can't do anything if you don't tell us there is a problem. I want to see you in a couple days to see how things are going."

"Yes sir."

"In that case, let's retrieve your belongings and return to the common room."

* * *

The remaining months of the term were eventful. In fact, the whole castle had gone a bit mad. The day after Luna returned to the dorm room, the castle was rocked by the news that Hagrid had been taken away by the Ministry, and Professor Dumbledore had been suspended by the board of governors. The teachers started escorting students between classes, and all students were required to remain in their dorm rooms at other times. Most clubs were suspended as well. Three weeks later, they found out that Ginny Weasley had been taken to the Chamber of Secrets by the monster, and Harry Potter had gone down after her and killed the monster. Luna almost visited her several times, but the memory of Ginny's behavior held her back.

The dorm room was tense when Luna moved back, but she was mostly left alone – probably because of Professor Flitwick and the prefects monitoring. However, as the term went on, they paid less attention, and some minor bullying began again. At first, Luna thought she was simply misplacing things, but she quickly realized that they were being taken. She took to locking away all of her possessions whenever she needed to leave. Anne tried to talk to Luna a dozen times but eventually gave up when Luna refused to respond.

* * *

It was late at night and Max was waiting impatiently in the corner of the common room. As OWLs and NEWTs were over and regular exams were canceled by Professor Dumbledore, the common room was mostly empty. Only a few upper years were sitting together around the fire, but they were completely oblivious to his presence. He looked over and saw Anne climbing down the staircase from her dormitory, and he raised his hand in greeting.

"Is everyone in your dorm asleep?" Max asked as she settled into the chair opposite him.

"Yes… What did you want to talk to me about? Why so much secrecy?" Anne replied. She was surprised then Max tapped her on the shoulder at dinner earlier this night and asked her to meet him in the common room after her dorm mates went to sleep. She initially wanted to dismiss his request, but her curiosity won out.

"I know you used to be friends with Lovegood, but you had a falling out of some kind. Would you be willing to help her?" Max asked, ignoring her questions.

"I guess… Why? Is she in trouble?"

"No. It's just…" Max paused trying to come up with the right words to say. Mentally he scolded himself. This is exactly why he practiced. "… You know how over the year a lot of her things have been going missing?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I have been trying to keep track of who took them and where they are being kept, since I don't like the way she has been treated. She also put up this sheet with a list of all her missing items and asked for them to be returned. I found almost all of them. I'm not going to tell you where they were or who took them, but could you make sure they get back to her anonymously?" Max asked, pulling out a large bundle from under the table with a piece of paper in Luna's handwriting.

Anne took Luna's list from him and looked over it. Max had crossed out most of the items, but Anne was reasonably confident that Chloe had taken the last few items, and they were hidden in her dorm somewhere. Looking back to Max, she nodded. "I'll get them back to her. Thank you."

"I'm glad I talked to the right person. Just, please make sure no one finds out."

"You have my word," Anne replied. She gathered the bundle but paused before climbing the stairs. "Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you helping her?"

"I could ask you the same question."

Anne nodded and climbed the stairs back to her dormitory.

* * *

**A/N**: This chapter mostly wraps up the first year and with it, the first arc of the story. In the next chapter, the start of Ginny post-Tom.


	8. Chapter 8: Aftermath

**Chapter 8: Aftermath**

Ginny woke up in a warm, soft bed. She opened her eyes to a tall vaulting ceiling. Where was she? Sunlight was streaming into the room. Then she remembered. The Chamber. Harry with the sword. The basilisk, dead. The diary. Tom.

Ginny squeezed her eyes shut as memories flooded her mind. She needed control. Tom told her to picture a small fire… but could she trust it? Could she trust anything Tom ever told her? She felt tears bubbling up inside her. She would use Bill's trick instead. She took a deep breath but got caught midway through and narrowly avoided sobbing.

Bill had told her to first find something she knew. Her name was Ginny Weasley. Breathe in; breathe out. She was at Hogwarts. Breathe in; breathe out. She was in bed in the hospital wing. Breathe in; breathe out. It's close to the end of term. Breathe in; breathe out. She opened the Chamber of Secrets. Breathe in; breathe out. There was a Basilisk inside. Breathe in; breathe out. She used it to attack other students. Breathe in; breathe out. Harry killed the basilisk and saved her. Breathe in; breathe out. Tom, her friend, was using her. Breathe in; breathe out. Tom tried to kill her. Breathe in; breathe out. Tom was Lord Voldemort.

Ginny opened her eyes again and looked around the hospital wing. Her parents were sitting in a pair of chairs next to her bed, both fast asleep. She turned her head and saw that all the other beds were unoccupied. She breathed a sigh of relief. The mandrakes worked. Her victims would be okay. Even Harry and Ron were not there. Ginny supposed they weren't hurt severely when rescuing her. That was good.

She lay her head back down on the pillow and closed her eyes again, remembering the events of the last night. Most of it was still a blur. She remembered Tom seizing control. He had given up on trying to conceal his actions by then. He was going to kill her anyways. She remembered writing the final message on the wall in her own blood. She looked down at her arm and saw the cut was completely healed. Not even a scar. Of course, the real scars wouldn't be healed with a charm, potion, and bed rest.

She remembered Tom opening the Chamber and bringing her down. By the time she reached the atrium she was so tired. Tom receded from her mind, and she was in control again. However, she was exhausted, and the diary fell from her hand. She tried to walk away, but she collapsed on the second step. Then the pages of the diary fluttered, and Tom climbed out into the real world. His smile, so certain, so confident, so cruel. The mask he always wore when talking with her, finally falling away. He looked down at her and said, "Goodbye Ginerva." Her vision blurred and the world faded to black. She knew the last thing she would see was Tom's eyes.

Then, somehow, Harry was there, and Tom was gone. The basilisk lay with claw marks on covering its yellow eyes and a large cut piercing its head. Her diary – Tom's diary – lay in inky water with a basilisk fang resting in the middle. Then there was a phoenix, the Sorting Hat, Ron, and suddenly she was with her parents while Harry told Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall what happened in the Chamber. Then, Professor McGonagall was guiding her with her parents to the hospital wing. Ginny didn't remember what she said, but Professor McGonagall assured her she wouldn't be expelled. Then she was lying in bed with her parents clutching her hands tightly while Madam Pomfrey gave her some potion to drink. Then, darkness.

She looked over at her parents, still asleep in their chairs. What would they think? How would they react? What about her brothers? What about the rest of Gryffindor? Hogwarts? How much did they know? What would Bill say? What did Harry think of her? Bloody hell: this was a mess.

Well, waiting would make nothing better. May as well bite the bullet. Shit, that was one of Tom's phrases. This is going to be so much harder than she thought.

Ginny sat up in bed, and her mother's eyes snapped open. "Ginny! Arthur, Ginny is awake. How are you feeling dear?"

"I'm alright," Ginny lied. "How are Ron and Harry? What about Colin, Mrs. Norris," – Ginny tried to remember the names of her other victims. Percy's girlfriend. – "Penelope and Hermione?"

"They made a full recovery. They've already been released from the hospital."

Ginny gave a sigh of relief. "What is going to happen to me?"

"Nothing. No one blames you for what happened. Although we are going to need to have a conversation about magical artifacts, young lady."

"Molly," Ginny's father cut in. "Now is not the time."

"Right. We just want to give everything you need to recover. Is there anything I can get you?"

"Not really."

"Do you want to talk sweety?"

"No. How long will I have to stay here?"

"Madam Pomfrey said you can leave when you feel better. Although we need to discuss if you want to return home instead of staying."

"I'm staying."

"Ginny, we should discuss this."

"I want to stay. I don't want my entire year to be controlled by _him_. I want some time to just be a first year. Is that alright?"

Ginny's parents looked at each other. Her mother looked conflicted, but her father answered, "Yes. I think that's a good idea."

They fell silent for a few minutes. Her mother tried to start up a conversation, but her father gave a small cough and she fell silent, which Ginny greatly appreciated. Madam Pomfrey then arrived and discussed her condition with her parents. She walked into her office and returned with a series of small vials.

"How are you feeling, Ms. Weasley."

"I'm okay, I guess."

Madam Pomfrey nodded. "You'll be alright. It just takes time. If you need someone to talk to, I am at your service."

"Thank you."

"Your parents tell me that you would like to return to your dorm to finish up the term."

"Yeah."

"Alright. I expect you may have some trouble sleeping over the next few days. Here are a few vials of dreamless sleep potion. If you need, take one per night. Do not take more than one. Am I clear?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Dreamless sleep potion can be addictive, so I am only giving you enough for the week. If you are still having trouble sleeping, please come to see me, and we can reassess then."

"Thank you," Ginny replied. Her parents and Madam Pomfrey walked into her office to talk, and she changed into her school robes. They said goodbye to Madam Pomfrey and left the hospital wing.

In the hallway outside, Ginny turned to her parents and said, "I know that you are planning on walking me back to the common room, but I'll be alright. I just need some time on my own. I have a lot to process."

Her mum was going to object, but her dad placed a hand on her arm. Instead, she said, "Alright dear."

Ginny walked forward and gave both her parents tight hugs. "I love you Mum. I love you Dad. I'll be fine. I'll see you in a couple weeks."

"If you need anything, send an owl, and we'll be right here."

"I know. Thank you," Ginny said with a sad smile. She then waved goodbye and turned to walk away. Before rounding the corner, she looked back to her parents, still standing by the doors to the hospital wing. She gave them another smile and wave before vanishing from view.

Ginny did not go back to the common room. She was not ready to face everyone. However, she also could not run into her parents again before they left, or they would insist on escorting her back to the care of her brothers. Instead, she climbed to the only place she could be certain she would not be disturbed: the top of the astronomy tower. She walked over to the parapet ringing the tower, climbed on top of it, and closed her eyes. The sunlight shone on her face. The warm wind whipped past her, lifting her hair in the air. It was almost like flying. She was floating up away from the dungeons. Away from the castle. So high that nothing could catch her. No one could touch her. Not her well-meaning parents. Not her brothers. Not Tom.

Of course, she was not really flying. She was sitting on the edge of the tower which, despite having an impressive view, was firmly on the ground. In that moment, she wished she was home. She wanted to bundle up in her room and never leave again. Never be hurt. Never hurt others. Never be betrayed. Just hide under the covers on her bed until the monsters went away. Until her brothers came to chase them away. But monsters were real, and she was one of them, and there was no one who could change that. She could not hide forever. It was time to face everyone.

When she reached the common room, she was almost disappointed to find it almost empty, but it was not completely vacant. Sitting in the chair by the fire curled up with a heavy tome was one of the people she most needed to apologize to. She walked over and said in a nervous voice, "Hi Hermione."

"Oh. Ginny! How are you doing," Hermione asked with a voice full of concern.

"What do you mean 'how am I doing'? How are you doing? I am so so so sorry."

"There is no need to apologize. I'm alright."

"Of course I need to apologize. I stole a month from you."

"Ginny. Please sit down. You're making me nervous," Hermione said with a soft smile, gesturing to the empty chair across from her. Ginny sat hesitantly, still tense in case she needed to leave quickly. "I know about the diary and Riddle. Harry and Ron told me everything. You're more of a victim than I am."

"Oh no. They told you! Who else knows?" Ginny said, bolting up from the chair.

"Ginny. Sit." Hermione ordered. She reached over and gave Ginny's hand a comforting squeeze before continuing. "The school doesn't know. From what I understand, only you, Harry, Ron, and I know everything that happened. Harry told the abridged version to Dumbledore, McGonagall, and your parents. I think Ron told Fred, George, and Percy, but that's it. No one else knows. Professor Dumbledore made an announcement at the feast that you were safe. The school knows that the monster was killed, and they were told you were just the final victim. I'm sure no one will be spreading the story. No one else needs to know unless you want to tell them."

"I don't know. I need to tell them. It was my fault…"

"It was not your fault."

"Yes, it was. If I had been less trusting of the diary. If I had been brave enough to tell someone once I started to suspect things. If I was smart enough to actually dispose of it properly. If I had gone right to Professor McGonagall instead of trying to tell Ron and Harry. If I had just been a bit stronger…"

"Ginny. Stop. You can't blame yourself. You did everything you could. Maybe you should be blaming me instead?"

"How in Merlin's name does that make sense?"

"If I had put the pieces together sooner, I could have stopped it. If I had figured out it was a basilisk sooner, we may have prevented Hagrid getting arrested, Penelope from being attacked, and Riddle from trying to kill you."

"But there is no way you could have known or changed anything."

"Exactly. I've read a bit about survivors of trauma. The thing almost everyone does is blame themselves and wonder how they could have fixed things. Ginny. It was not your fault. If there is anyone to blame, it is Riddle and his diary. I don't blame you. The only one who blames you is you. We're all just happy you are alright."

Ginny nodded. There was nothing else she could say. Rationally, she knew Hermione was probably right. Ginny just didn't feel that way. "So where is everyone else?"

"Harry and Ron are with the rest of the Quidditch team playing a scrimmage match down by the pitch. I'm not sure where your year-mates or Percy are."

"I think I know where Percy is," Ginny replied. He was probably with his recently unpetrified girlfriend. "Why are you sitting here?"

"I've been unconscious for the last few weeks. I have a lot of reading to catch up on, and my mind needs some exercise."

Ginny rose to leave, but Hermione asked, "Are you going to tell everyone?"

"I'm not sure yet."

* * *

Ginny decided not to share what happened with everyone. She was not sure if it was because deep down, she was a coward or because Hermione's points had made sense, but she chose to let the decision stand. Penelope, Nearly Headless Nick, and Justin Finch-Fletchley did not seem to know her beyond being a member of the Weasley family, so Ginny felt safe not sharing. She would leave the past in the past. (Shit. Another of Tom's stupid phrases.) Mrs. Norris seemed to recognize her and bolted whenever their paths crossed. However, she was just a cat, after all, and Filch would probably murder her if she told him she was responsible.

The real problem was Colin. While all of her year mates generally avoided her – after all, she had behaved fairly unusually for most of the year with her head always in her diary, compounded with her subsequent 'kidnapping' – but Colin seemed afraid of her. Whenever she entered the room, he would try to quietly slip out as soon as possible. Even worse, Ginny was not sure what to tell him. He obviously remembered something, but she could not remember anything about the night he had been attacked. Then again, her memory from the past year was full of holes so that was to be expected.

The solution turned out to be a bit of brute force. Colin liked to take pictures of Quidditch matches, so Ginny just camped out on the most direct route to the common room and waited. Soon enough, Colin appeared with his camera, and Ginny grabbed him, shoving him in the nearest classroom and casting a locking charm on the door.

Colin's face went pale and he begged, "Please let me go. I won't say anything."

"Look. I'm sorry for grabbing you, but I have been trying to talk to you, and you've been avoiding me."

"I'm sorry about the photo. If you still want me to go to Professor McGonagall to confess, I will."

This was not how she expected this conversation to go. Ginny asked, "What in Merlin's name are you talking about?"

"The photo of Loony… Luna that I had in the common room, the night I was attacked. You left to go to the Ravenclaw common room, and I was attacked while trying to get to the hospital wing to visit Harry Potter. You had some grapes you thought he would like."

"What photo?"

"It was one of Luna looking like a fool. It was stupid, and I have been trying to work up the courage to apologize to her since I woke up. I don't have it anymore. You took it. Don't you remember?"

"Not really. Honestly, my memory of the year is a bit spotty at the moment."

"Oh. So you're not going to hex me?"

"No," Ginny said. She canceled the locking charm on the door. Colin did not know she attacked him – well, Riddle attacked him using her – so it would be better not to bring it up. She was going to take Hermione's advice and just try to move forward.

Colin started to leave but asked, "If you didn't want to talk about the photo, why did you want to talk to me?"

"Oh. It's nothing. I'll see you around Colin."

Ginny returned to her dorm room, dropped her wand on the nightstand, and fell onto the bed. What happened that night? She wracked her brain but came up blank. Based on what Colin said, it seemed like she was mad at Colin for bullying Luna, and Tom stopped it by having Colin petrified. Why would Tom care?

Ginny slammed her hand against the bed in frustration. The thud made her wand slip from its precarious position on the nightstand and roll under her bed. Ginny swore and fished around under the bed for her wand. She pulled out a couple of socks and a crumpled piece of paper before finding her wand. It wasn't a piece of paper. It was a photo. She smoothed it out and watched as Luna petted something invisible before falling into the mud. This must be the photo Colin was talking about. No wonder she was angry. They were bullying Luna, but why would Tom care? Actually, now that she thought about it, she had only seen Luna once since the train ride, and then, Luna had been running away from her.

There was only one explanation. She needed to find Luna. She found Fred and George sitting in the corner of the common room, and they broke away from their conversation with Lee as she approached. "I need to know how to get to the Ravenclaw common room."

"Do you want us to take you," Fred asked.

Ginny shook her head. "I just could use some directions."

"Ravenclaw Tower, fifth floor. There should be an eagle knocker on the door. Sadly, we don't know the password. You'll need to try to get someone to let you in."

Ginny thanked the twins and made her way to the Ravenclaw common room. It took her a few minutes to find the knocker, and she banged on the door a couple of times until it swung open to reveal a girl with dark brown hair. Ginny thought she was one of the first years. Something Palmer. Anne maybe?

"Is Luna here? I need to talk to her."

"Why," the girl replied.

"There's something I need to clear up. I'm a friend of hers. Can you please get her?"

The girl looked at her puzzled. "I know who you are Ginny Weasley. I also know that Luna won't want to speak with you after everything you've done."

"What? Just ask her. She'll talk to me," Ginny replied. As soon as the words left her mouth, doubts started to creep in. Luna ran away from her after Charms.

The girl left and returned a couple minutes later. "She doesn't want to speak to you."

"Come on. I need to hear that from her."

The girl shook her head. "Luna made herself clear. If you told me why you wanted to see her, I may be able to convince her."

"Fine. You want to know why," Ginny replied, holding up the photo. "I just found this Apparently it came from your house, and I want to see if she is alright. Loony Lovegood. What is wrong with you people. She is in your house! How could you bully her like this!"

"I'm not, and you're a few months late to change anything."

"She is my friend."

"I used to think so, but do you have any explanation for everything you put her through this year?"

Ginny paused a bit at a loss for words. She didn't do anything to Luna. She had not even seen her for more than a few minutes all year.

"I thought not," the girl continued with a sigh. "I don't think you should come by here again. It's best if you just leave her alone." The door slammed shut in Ginny's face. She pounded on the door, but it refused to open.

What the bloody hell did Tom do?

* * *

The rest of term felt a bit surreal. Unable to make contact with Luna in school, Ginny resolved to stop by her house after term when her stupid guardian was not present. Her year mates still behaved weirdly around her, so Ginny eventually gave up. It was something to work on when everyone returned after summer holiday. This meant she was spending excessive amounts of time alone, with her brothers, and with her brothers' friends. They were a bit hesitant to leave her alone, but she was alright with that. Ginny did not want to spend too much time thinking. It was cowardly but the better option.

Fred and George pulled a few small pranks like charming her hair to stand on end every time she touched a doorknob and turning her bed hanging a bright purple – although she had no idea how they got into her dorm room in the first place. The pranks were funny, familiar, and plainly comforting. While she still had to chase them around the common room when she discovered the pranks, casting a few particularly nasty hexes she picked up (ironically that they themselves taught her), at least it got her feeling something. Joy. Anger. Excitement. And when she needed to be alone, they gave her space, and when she felt lonely, they were always nearby for a game of Exploding Snap.

The person she wanted most was Ron, but he was the most oblivious. It seemed as though he did not know how to deal with her. While he was fine when others were present, the few times she was able to get him alone, he looked uncomfortable and practically fled when she let him go. Ginny honestly did not expect anything different, but it still hurt.

Percy, meanwhile, had the opposite problem. He was somehow always there offering help when she didn't need it. It was almost like he thought she was made of glass, about to shatter at the slightest disturbance. When she pushed him on it, he admitted that he felt it was his job to keep an eye on her. He was a prefect after all and the only responsible Weasley currently in Hogwarts. Whenever she tried to convince him that what happened to her was not his fault, he would agree, but stay there, keeping an eye on her. Eventually, she got tired enough to stick Hermione on him.

The first week was as good as could be expected. While she felt a bit empty inside, she put on a smile and everyone seemed to accept it. She could almost convince herself it wasn't all an act. At least, until the Dreamless Sleep Potions ran out.

_She was standing in her room in the Gryffindor Tower. All around her were the usual beds, made up and unoccupied. She walked down the stairs until she reached the common room. There was a fire in the fireplace, but otherwise the room was empty. Except for one armchair, its back turned toward her. She crossed the room with her wand in her hand. There he was, leaning back in the chair, his fingers tented. _

_"Hello Ginerva."_

Ginny bolted up in bed covered in sweat. No. He couldn't be there. Tom was dead. Harry had destroyed the diary. She caught her breath. A quick glance at the clock informed her that it was two in the morning. She had gotten less than three hours of sleep.

The dream was the same as before. She had been writing in the diary for a couple weeks when they started. Tom said it was because of how close they had become. Part of the charms on his diary. The gullible fool she was, she had just accepted it. Of course sharing dreams made sense. It had been so nice to meet Tom face to face: to be able to talk to him like a real person, not just a book. He had even been able to help her with her class and spell work. It didn't happen every night as it generally made her a bit more tired than usual, but she really appreciated all the effort he made. Tom was her friend, but it was all a lie.

Ginny was unable to fall asleep again that night, and she was waiting outside the hospital wing when Madam Pomfrey opened the doors at seven. "How long have you been here?"

"Just a couple minutes," Ginny replied. In reality, she had been sitting there for just over two hours.

"How are you feeling Ms. Weasley?"

"I'm alright. I just ran out of dreamless sleep potion last night, and…"

"You had a nightmare?"

"Yes."

"Were you able to get any sleep?"

"A couple hours."

"Bed," Madam Pomfrey ordered. Ginny sat down as Madam Pomfrey cast a series of diagnostic spells. "While it may be of little comfort, physically, you are in good health. Now, I take it you would like additional Dreamless Sleep Potions?"

"I think so."

"The standard dosage of Dreamless Sleep Potions is about ten days uninterrupted. Longer time spans runs the risk of addiction. Taking a break, as you did last night, mitigates the risk. With continuous monitoring, it can be used for up to twenty days continuously. That will take you until the end of term. However, I will not continue to prescribe it when you return home. You are going to have to face your nightmares eventually, Ms. Weasley. I am willing to provide you with enough to reach the end of term, provided you come in for checkups every other day."

Ginny thought for a minute, but she quickly concluded it would be better to deal with nightmares at home than have her dorm mates start wondering about her. "I'll take it."

* * *

**A/n**: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you did, please consider favoriting, following, or leaving a review. In the next chapter, Egypt.


	9. Chapter 9: Survivor

**Chapter 9: Survivor**

Ginny plastered a smile on her face as often as possible. It was surprisingly easy to fake happiness for the rest of term. After all, everyone was cautious around her so they did not question anything she did, and on the days she couldn't wear the mask, she just sat alone instead. There were only three people Ginny thought could see through her: one was far away, one refused to speak to her, and one was the cause of this whole mess.

Home was both better and worse than Hogwarts. In both places, she was surrounded by her family constantly, but at home it felt right. At home, she didn't need to worry about the looks from anyone else, and if she ever needed to get away, she could just go up and slam her door shut – one of the advantages of being the only girl in the family.

However, there was simply less stuff going on at home. Fred and George spent a lot of their time in their room working on their potions, spells, and plans for another year of future pranks. They were still happy to regale her stories of their past deeds or tales of the glorious Marauders, the most infamous pranksters, but the stories had much less interest for her now that she had been to Hogwarts. All the mystery and anticipation were gone.

It was her problems with Ron that took an interesting turn. On the first day back, she cornered him in the garden. "Why are you avoiding me?"

Ron looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"You've been avoiding me. You afraid of me?" Ginny said, jabbing at him with a finger.

"What? No. It's just… Well… You know."

"You think I'm going to shatter into a million pieces? You think I'm that weak?"

"No. It's just I'm worried about you."

"So you think I can't take care of myself then?" Ginny said, tossing a garden gnome at his stupid face. The gnome gnashed its teeth as it arced through the air (screaming "bonsai"). Ron went down quickly, struggling to toss the ferocious gnome away.

"What's your problem?" he asked, sitting up. Ginny threw another gnome at him. "Stop it!"

"Not until you admit I can take care of myself. Even without using magic," She said, hefting a third gnome.

(Above her, she could hear Fred and George chanting, "Go Ginny! Go Ginny!")

Ron held up his hands in surrender. "Alright. I give up. I give up." Things went back to normal after that.

Percy locked himself in his room the moment they got home, probably to write to his girlfriend. At least he was not following her around. Whatever Hermione said must have worked.

Mum took over Percy's role. She was always there. Always hovering. Ginny appreciated that she cared so much, but it was simply suffocating. The first night back, her parents sat her down on the couch and asked if she was willing to talk to anyone.

"Mum, Dad. I don't need to talk to anyone. I am fine."

"Ginny," Mum said, "Madam Pomfrey told us you were having nightmares."

"She told you?"

"Yes dear. We're your parents, and we are only trying to help."

"Then stop. Please," Ginny begged. "I may not be fine yet, but I will get there. On my own. I am not broken!"

Ginny stormed off and slammed her door shut. Maybe it was time for an early night.

* * *

_She was back in her dorm room in Gryffindor. She walked down the stairs to the common room. Drawing her wand, she moved to face Tom. He was still sitting there, as infuriatingly calm as ever._

_"__Hello Ginerva."_

_"__How are you still here? Harry killed you. He destroyed your diary."_

_"__Did you really think it would be that easy to get rid of me?"_

_"__No. You're not here. You're gone. You're dead. This is all just a dream."_

_Tom smiled maliciously. "Yes, but that does not make it less real."_

Ginny sat awake in her bedroom, staring at the walls. Madam Pomfrey had warned her that the nightmares would probably come back as soon as she stopped taking the potion. Ginny sighed and slipped out of the room. She crept down the stairs, carefully avoiding the creaky step.

There was a light on in the kitchen. She could hear voices talking. It was her parents. She crept closer to listen in.

"… if she won't talk to us," her mum's voice said.

Dad replied, "Barney said we need to give her time. She's a victim of trauma. We can't force her to talk to us. She lost control; we can't take it away from her again."

"What does Barney know?"

"He's a counselor who consults with the department. He knows what he's talking about. She'll find someone to talk to when she's ready. Besides, she's a kid. Kids are incredibly resilient."

"She's your daughter, Arthur."

"I know. She's hurting, and there's nothing we can do."

Her mother sighed. There was a rattle and Ginny could hear the sound of water. Washing dishes? She was about to slip away when her mother continued talking, "Are you planning on entering the galleon draw?"

"May as well. We could use some luck."

Ginny silently crept upstairs and back to bed. Sleep was a long time coming.

* * *

_She felt a sharp pain. Something pushed its way into her head. "Hello Ginerva," Tom's voice said. "We're going to be talking a short walk."_

_Ginny struggled to break away, but Tom just chuckled. "There's nothing you can do Ginerva. You see, I have complete control. Besides, you won't remember anything happened. After all, you just fell asleep while writing an essay for History of Magic. Don't worry. When you wake up, I'll be right there to give you all the answers you need. Now march."_

_Ginny felt her legs move forward. She tried to speak, but no words came out. She was heading toward the grand staircase. Tom guided her down the stairs and through the entrance hall. "You remember your tea with Hagrid two days ago? Of course, you do. What you don't remember is the new roosters he had just purchased. We're going to take care of a little problem."_

_Ginny tried to remember. Charlie sent her a letter. He spent a lot of time with Hagrid when he was in school and suggested she try to as well. She stopped by that afternoon, after Herbology. She saw him outside, bringing in some crates. They went in to have tea. He offered her some cakes, but they were grey and rock hard. They talked about Charlie's work with dragons in Romania. Hagrid asked about someone called Norbet. What was in the crate? She didn't know. She couldn't remember. Tom chuckled at her frustration._

_"__Well this is interesting," Tom said. Someone was following them down from the castle. Was that Luna?_

_"__Lovegood. I thought I already dealt with her," Tom muttered. "Alright, slight change in plans. Time to kill two birds with one stone."_

_He pulled out her wand. Ginny tried to yell out, but no sound came. _

Ginny got out of bed, pulled a chair up to the window, and sat, waiting for the sun to rise. This was a good thing. She was starting to remember. Whatever Tom tried to bury; it was starting to become unearthed. Then why did she feel worse than before?

Now that she knew what happened, it was time to visit Luna again. She would need to tell her about Tom and the diary, but of everyone she knew, Luna was most likely to understand.

The sunrise was duller than usual. Ginny stayed in her room until midmorning when she was sure Luna and her father would be awake. She tried to sneak out but was (of course) caught by Mum. "What would you like for breakfast dear?"

"Nothing," Ginny replied, a bit irritated. "I'll be back later."

"And where are you going?"

"Out."

"Out where?"

"I thought I would stop by Luna's."

Mrs. Weasley smiled, probably a bit relieved. "That sounds like a wonderful idea. I haven't seen her around here yet this summer. How is she?"

"I'll let you know," Ginny replied as she finally escaped the kitchen.

The Lovegood home was a squat stone tower perched on a hill. Ginny marched up to the door and knocked. Receiving no reply, she pounded on the door again. Still nothing. However, there was smoke rising from the chimney. Someone had to be home. She called out, "Luna! Are you in there?"

She got no response.

"I'm not leaving until you talk to me!"

Still nothing.

"If you don't open the door, I'll have to do something rash."

Again, no response. It was probably worth a shot.

Ginny started looking around for another way in. As it was summer, she technically didn't have access to magic, even though she may be able to get away with a quick spell this close to a magical residence. She looked down at her wand sadly, recognizing it was not a real option. She really didn't want the lecture that would come with the official ministry warning. Her status as 'traumatized' probably would not protect her from her mother's wrath.

She would need to do this the muggle way. She pulled a pin out of her pocket and probed the lock. She was able to extort some lock picking lessons from Fred and George a couple years ago in exchange for not telling Mum about their dungbomb stash. She was actually pretty good at it, but this lock defeated her. It was old fashioned and extremely heavy.

She circled the tower. The windows on the bottom level were all firmly latched. The windows on the upper level would probably be locked as well. From her previous visits, she knew there was a trap door on the roof which she doubted was locked. That would need to be her way in.

"Luna, could you just open the door and save me the effort?"

Of course, she got no response. Ginny took a deep breath and started to climb. The five-story climb to the top of the Rookery was grueling. The hewn stone walls provided plenty of hand holds, and Ginny was not afraid of heights Afterall, what was the worst that could happen? She falls from five stories up and broke her neck? What a _tragedy_ that would be.

Ginny made it to the top without incident and found the trap door was indeed unlocked. She pulled it open and said, "Alright Luna. This is the last warning. I'm going in."

Of course, there was no response. Ginny descended the narrow ladder into the Lovegood's equivalent of a family room crossed with extra storage space. She had spent countless hours sitting with Luna on the comfortable couches in the corner playing games and simply talking. However, it was empty as was Luna's father's room on the floor below.

Ginny descended another level to Luna's room. It looked well lived in. Luna's trunk sat partially unpacked at the end of her bed. A pile of books lay on the side of the room. Ginny looked over them briefly. As expected, the standard Hogwarts texts for first years were supplemented by a pair of books on the theory of charms and a few on some magical creatures. She picked up one (_The Terrifying Truth of Thestrals_). The cover showed an empty forest with the moon shining high in the sky above. Ginny shrugged. Of course, Luna would have books on obscure, questionable creatures. Based on the room, Luna still was Luna. If she could just find her and talk to her, things could go back to normal. But where in Morgana's name was she?

Ginny checked Luna's father's workshop and finally the kitchen which were both empty. There was a small fire going in the hearth, but no one was there. Ginny briefly looked at the stairs descending to the basement that housed Luna's mother's workshop. Ginny had not been down there since her death, and she knew Luna would never go there voluntarily. The house was empty. Shit.

Ginny briefly considered leaving by the front door but decided leaving the front door unlocked with no one home was a bad idea. Instead, she climbed back up to the roof and picked her way down the outer wall, defeated.

* * *

Ginny's father won the Galleon draw the following morning. That night, her parents decided to use most of the money to take the family on a trip to Egypt to visit Bill. Two days later, they received the reply from Bill saying he was thrilled with the idea. An owl from Charlie shortly later had the news he would not be able to join them. Apparently, summer was the busiest time on the reserve, and they were currently understaffed with several handlers injured. (The letter had Mum bemoaning Charlie's life decisions, but he was safely miles away.)

The three weeks before the trip were exceptionally busy. In addition to packing for the trip, they would be returning less than a week before the start of term, so most of their school things needed to be prepared in advance. While their list of books would not come for weeks, they still needed to restock potions ingredients and find Ron a new wand (willow and unicorn hair).

Ginny felt like she was in the eye of a storm. All around her, everything was rushing (Are you packed yet? We're leaving in three days!) and panicking (I can't find Scabbers!), but for her, time moved so slowly. Not that she wasn't excited about Egypt. It was going to be really cool and seeing Bill again would be awesome. However, whenever she walked into a room, people would drop what they were doing to find out what she needed, each in their own way. She thought things were getting back to normal, but that was when nothing was going on. Now, she was not given any chores or assignments, and whenever she tried to help, someone would swoop in and do it for her. Normally, she would be happy to get out of the work, but now it made her want to scream "I am not a cripple!" She ended up just hiding in her room. She made several more trips to Luna's house, but it seemed like Luna and her father were away on an expedition. She probably should have stopped after the second time but scaling the side of the tower gave her a nice rush of adrenaline.

Ginny felt more relieved than anything when it was finally time for their portkey to Egypt.

* * *

Ginny woke up at four in the morning. As usual, her nightmares prevented her from getting a good night's sleep, no matter how tired she was. Apparently, no matter where in the world she went, Tom could still find her. She lay back in her bed, preparing to kill the hours until the rest of her family awoke. Bill was waiting for them at the Ministry in Cairo when their portkey arrived, and he gave them a brief tour of the city before taking them to his apartment building. They were split up between Bill's apartment and one of his neighbors who was out of the country for the summer and agreed to let them sublet. When they divided up the rooms, Ginny got Bill's couch.

Ginny got up to get a drink of water. As she opened the cabinet, Bill walked in. He smiled and said, "I guess I'm not the only early riser."

Ginny replied, "I guess not."

"You should get dressed."

"Why?"

Bill walked over to a closed and pulled out a pair of brooms, tossing one to Ginny.

"Really?" Ginny said with her eyes wide.

"Yup."

"What about Mum?"

"She doesn't need to ever know."

Five minutes later, they were both outside Bill's apartment. "What about the muggles?"

"It's four in the morning, Gin. No one is up."

Ginny stared at the boom. This must be a dream.

"Are you going to fly? I know for a fact you can."

Ginny, spurred on by his challenge, pushed off and rapidly accelerated away from the ground. The wind whipped past her head, her hair streaming behind her. She pulled the broom into a series of sharp loops. It handled excellently. There was a blur and suddenly Bill was there, tapping her on the shoulder before accelerating away.

"Oh no you don't," Ginny laughed, before rocketing after him. They sped over the streets of Cairo, but Bill was somehow always a step ahead. They cleared the last of the buildings and were over open sand. Bill sitting on his broom, arms held out. He shouted, "Come and get me!"

Ginny put the broom on maximum acceleration. She feinted left, tricking Bill and finally tapping his arm. "YESSS!" She screamed.

Bill motioned, and she swung over to hover beside him. "Sunrise is in another forty minutes," he said, checking his watch. "We should head out if we want to make it in time."

"Where are we going," Ginny asked as the city fell away behind them.

"There's a rock formation out that way where you can see the most spectacular sunrises from."

Ginny nodded, before dipping down to skim across the desert. She pushed the broom faster, and sand started to stream behind her. She had never flown like this before. It was incredible. The sky. The wind. The speed. She pulled up to rejoin Bill, who had a brilliant smile on his face. "What type of broom is this?"

"A Cleansweep 8," Bill replied, "They're not as fast as the Nimbus series, but they handle much better at lower speeds. It's useful if you are trying to escape a hoard of inferi you accidentally awoke inside a tomb. It handles tunnels much better than a lot of other brooms."

"Wait. What?"

"I was with Kyle, I'll introduce you to him before you leave, and we were breaking into this tomb. The corridors were like a maze, but it wasn't that heavily warded. We were feeling a bit cocky and became reckless. We got to the central room and accidentally triggered the only real defensive measure it had. I think the final count was three hundred forty-two inferi in all. They started appearing everywhere, and Kyle pulls out a pair of brooms he has stored shrunken in his pocket, and we get out of there as fast as possible. To be honest, we barely got out. I think I may owe this broom my life. Needless to say, this is a story you should not tell Mum."

"Of course," Ginny replied. "Wait. How did you know I could fly?"

"Really Ginny?"

"What? It's a fair question."

"Who do you think removed the charms from the broom shed for you to break in?"

"What? There are charms on the broom shed!"

"Do you really need to ask that? We live with Fred and George."

"True. I really shouldn't be that surprised," Ginny replied with a giggle, "I just thought I broke in on my own."

"You did. You just needed a bit of help. I'm not sure if I should have told you that. Are you alright?"

"I'm glad you told me. It's weirdly comforting to know you were supporting me then."

The rest of their trip was spent in a very comfortable silence. Bill was right. The sunrise was spectacular.

* * *

Ginny found herself enjoying their time in Egypt immensely. The pyramids, tombs, and ruins were incredible. The normal tourist attractions were impressive, and the guides were knowledgeable. Bill supplemented everything with stories he experienced or heard from other curse breakers. His connections in Gringotts even got them into some new excavations that were still being cleared.

While Ginny still had nightmares and rarely was able to sleep through a night, Bill was always awake early. Sometimes they were able to spend time flying, and other times they just talked.

"How did you sleep last night?" Bill asked.

"Normally," Ginny replied. The Weasleys were camping overnight deep in the desert before visiting the tomb of some ancient Egyptian sorcerer. She was sitting with Bill on a short stone outcropping, a few feet away from the tents, watching the night fade away. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, this is the first night we spent actually in the desert, and I'm just making conversation. Is that a problem?"

"No. I guess I meant more of why haven't you asked me before now? Everyone else does. All the time."

Bill shrugged. "I guess because I know what your answer would be."

"And what would that answer be?"

"You'd deflect. If you don't want to talk, nothing will make you talk. Besides, it won't help if you don't want it to."

"I wouldn't object if you asked me anyways."

"Alright," Bill replied, putting his hand on Ginny's shoulder. "How are you really doing Ginny?"

"Bloody terrible," Ginny replied with a small grin.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Kind of. How much do you know?"

"Mum and Dad told me everything."

"How long have you known?"

"Since before you came here."

Ginny nodded, expecting nothing different. "Have you ever had someone you trusted, a friend, turn around and stab you in the back, and had been faking it the entire time?

Bill leaned back and took a sip of his tea. "Just after I took this job, I was on this dig. I think it was my third. Some muggle archeologists had unearthed a royal burial chamber which turned out to be magical. By the time we got there, the team had literally torn themselves apart. It was pretty gruesome. I was working with a guy named Julio and another named Hobbs. Both had worked together for years. Close friends, those guys."

"What happened?"

"Well, we started to clear the outer wards like normal. We found the trap the muggles triggered and were able to knock it out. We started to clear the main chamber, but, as is common with some ward schemes, the main set could only be disabled from the inside. Julio and I went inside to try to dismantle the wards while Hobbs remained outside to let us out in case things went wrong."

"Which they did."

"Yeah. Hobbs intentionally triggered a purge, a kind of ward that destroys everything inside the selected area. It's a common part of the defenses of autonomous warding systems. It uses the theory that if you can't figure out what's wrong, just destroy it. Apparently, he found a buyer for the trap the muggles triggered but didn't want to leave any witnesses."

"So how did you escape?"

"Brute force. There really is not much you can do when a ward system starts imploding. Julio just used a fiendfyre to destroy the entire tomb. Gringotts wasn't happy, but we survived."

"What happened to Hobbs?"

"We found him dead a few steps from the entrance. The trap he stole had a poison barb in the base. We had the antidotes with us when he trapped us."

"I'm glad Hobbs died. He deserved it."

"We'll I'm not, and Julio certainly wasn't. The guy did try to sell a potential weapon of mass destruction on the black market, but he was still a friend before he tried to kill us. I wouldn't say I'm glad he's dead. More relieved."

Ginny nodded silently.

"I realize it's not a perfect comparison, but sometimes it's hard to separate the people we know from their actions."

"He was nice to me, you know," Ginny said hesitantly. "When I first started writing to him. I could write to him about anything. He helped me with my friends and my schoolwork, and he always had the answers. He never told me to go away or that I was a waste of time. And the entire time it was just a trick." Ginny slammed her fist into the rock.

Bill sat there, waiting for her to continue.

"Even when I started to realize I didn't remember things, like where I was when the attacks took place, I never suspected him. I trusted him so completely. Even when I finally suspected him and tried to get rid of him, I couldn't help but steal him back later. I didn't believe it could be him. Not Tom. Never Tom. Not until the end when he stopped pretending."

"How much do you remember?"

"More every day. It's the reason I've been having the nightmares. I just want to forget. I want to move on!"

"It takes time."

"That's what everyone says, but he's still in my head. I want to get away, but I see him everywhere." Ginny pulled out her wand. "You see this. It's yew. Same wand wood Tom had. 'We're the same.' That's what he used to say. I used to think it was sweet, but I know it's not."

"Ginny," Bill said, placing his hands on hers, "You do not have Tom's wand. You are not Tom."

"I know," Ginny sighed. "I just want to get away from him?"

"You can't. Last year happened. There's nothing you can do to change that. You can't hide from your past Ginny. It will always find you. You need to accept that and learn to live with it."

"That's not that comforting."

"It's not, but it's true. You are a survivor, Ginny. There is no easy way forward. You need to make it through each and every day. Just try to live your life. Some days you will miss Tom and hate yourself for it. On others, you'll be so angry you just want to light a match and set the world on fire. More importantly, on some days you'll find yourself laughing again, despite everything you have been through, and it's those days that matter. Eventually the dark days will become fewer and farther between if you choose them to be. The scars will never heal, but they will fade. What truly matters is you survived and are stronger for it."

Ginny pulled Bill into a hug and whispered, "Thank you."

They sat in silence, watching the darkness fade before the rising sun.

* * *

**A/N**: When writing this story, I have tried to write well ahead of the chapter I post. This has given me time to do some basic editing and avoid some plot holes. I try to post updates on the last Sunday of the month, and I can usually have one or two chapters written during that time. As of posting this chapter, I am in the middle of writing chapter 16. However, I have noticed is that I have a lot less motivation to write after posting a new chapter. Having few views on a story you've worked hard on is frustrating and discouraging. Therefore, I have decided to temporarily stop posting to this story. To be clear, I am not writing this authors note to get more views. Rather, I am writing to explain my decision to those readers who have been following this story. I write because it is something I enjoy doing, and I am committed to finishing this story. I am just going to be taking a month or two break from posting so I can make more progress. As always, if anyone has any feedback on this chapter, please let me know.


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